N1 FITNESS

Training Periodization:  The planned progression and ordering of training programs with
different variables to result in the fastest possible progress towards an individual’s goal.

Now that we have the general concept, let’s get more specific. That is why you’re here, right?

Something to keep in mind is that there are a lot of methods that can be considered
“periodization” in a very general sense, but what I am going to cover in this article is what
constitutes optimal periodization for EVERY goal when we look at the details and principles
of programming and trainability.

Defining Our Terms

This is a complex topic, so let’s first define our terms that we’ll be using.

Stimulus / Stimuli: Training stimuli refers to specific conditions created by the type of

training that elicits a particular response from the body. Think of it like a trigger that results in
an adaptation.

By manipulating workout variables, we create a certain biological state in the body that
stimulates processes to take place which can either positively or negatively affect our
progress.

Each of these stimuli can contribute to one or more of our overall goals of fat loss,
recomposition, muscle gain, or strength increase.

Read More Here: Training Stimuli – What Are They?

Trainability: The ability to recover from and adapt to a given stimulus at a point in time.  It is
the difference between how much volume of a stimulus is required to trigger an adaptation
and your maximum amount of volume of that stimulus you are able to recover from. 
Trainability varies by stimulus and is constantly changing as you adapt, recover, and progress.

Let's Get Specific

If you’ve read about periodization before from other sources, you may have seen a few things
like:

Periodization is…

… increasing the number of sets per body part over time then de-loading by doing less sets for
a while, repeat
… undulating your rate of perceived effort (RPE) or the reps in reserve (RIR) from week to
week

… undulating your rep range from workout to workout or week to week

While technically those are form a periodization in the broadest sense of the word, if we are
looking for optimal periodization, those are all incorrect (or at least very inefficient and
misguided) when considering the principles we teach at N1.

This is where understanding the terms we defined above are of paramount importance.

To create a more accurate outline of what good training periodization is, albeit still general
enough to apply to every goal and individual, here are the qualifications I would say
encompass it:

1. Manipulating training variables to achieve a specific stimulus or stimuli during each

training program
2. Ordering training programs to maximize recovery and performance across each one
3. Using multiple programs across all three training phases that contribute to the overall
goal of the individual
4. Using multiple stimuli within each phase to achieve the fastest possible progress based
on your trainability

Trainability is Key

Understanding and adhering to trainability is extremely important.

Why?

I’m glad you asked.

Trainability determines at what point you will eventually stop being able to adequately adapt
to a given stimulus. Basically, when you hit your trainability threshold you plateau and may
even start seeing certain markers decline.  Some might refer to this as “overtraining”, but in
this case it is specific to the stimulus created by your workouts.

If you know what the stimulus of your workout is, you can switch to a different one before
you hit that point of diminishing returns and still continue making progress with another
stimulus that contributes to your goal rather than just doing a week of less sets or at a lower
intensity.  Neither of which will help you continue making progress and are likely just
slowing down your recovery if you’re doing the same type of training since you’re not giving
your body a break from that stimulus.

Example Time!
Let’s say your goal is fat loss and you’re doing a program that is very locally metabolic. You
build up a great pump and burn in the individual muscles.  Usually with higher reps and
shorter rest periods.

Progress starts out great.  You lose a few pounds, are looking leaner, and the workouts feel
great.

Then, your weight stops moving and maybe you even start gaining a little.  You are starting to
look a little bloated or “watery” in the mirror and you start losing those great pumps before
the end of the workout. Or maybe you even have a harder time getting a pump at all.

These are all indicators that you have hit your trainability threshold for that local metabolic
stimulus.  You may have even overdone it a bit and are accumulating some inflammation that
is resulting in the decreased pumps, gaining weight, and looking bloated.

This is where the periodization part comes in.

Rather than just doing less sets or working at a lower intensity (lighter loads, same weight), 
we might suggest that you transition to what we would consider a neurological type of
program.  Typically this would be associated with a strength goal, but when designed properly
with matching nutrition can work great for fat loss too.

The main benefit in this case is that it allows your muscles to recover from the metabolic
stress and decrease inflammation.  The second benefit is that you can spend a little bit of time
improving your ability to contract more muscle tissue in every rep which will enhance your
metabolic training when you return to it.  This would also be what we consider a de-load for
metabolic training. To learn more about the benefits and how to perform a proper de-load,
read “De-Load: Why it Matters”.

After enough time to where your muscles have become re-sensitized to local metabolic stress,
you could either return to the same program or a different metabolic stimulus.  So in this case
your periodization would look like this:

Local metabolic training > neurological (strength focused) training > Local metabolic or
systemic metabolic training

The nutrition of course will be a huge factor here as the calories and macronutrient ratios
would need to change from program to program in order to continue complimenting your fat
loss goal.

This is just a very isolated example, but gives you an idea of how you can continue
progressing without just doing “less stuff” as your only tool when you start to plateau or
things aren’t going well.

Key Point Summary

The most valuable things to take away from this article are:
 1. Good periodization is not just undulating the total number of sets per body part or
perceived effort (RIR, RPE, etc)
2. Periodization is built around creating specific training stimuli within each program
3. De-loading is a part of periodization but doesn’t mean you have to stop making
progress
4. Proper periodization allows you to reach your long-term goals faster

In part 2, we’ll dive more into the actual effects of training variables, how they contribute to
periodization, and why just varying the number of sets or perceived effort in a workout is
illogical once you understand the basic principles.

ion

Training Periodization:  The planned progression and ordering of training programs with
different variables to result in the fastest possible progress towards an individual’s goal.

Now that we have the general concept, let’s get more specific. That is why you’re here, right?

Something to keep in mind is that there are a lot of methods that can be considered
“periodization” in a very general sense, but what I am going to cover in this article is what
constitutes optimal periodization for EVERY goal when we look at the details and principles
of programming and trainability.

Defining Our Terms

This is a complex topic, so let’s first define our terms that we’ll be using.

Stimulus / Stimuli: Training stimuli refers to specific conditions created by the type of

training that elicits a particular response from the body. Think of it like a trigger that results in
an adaptation.

By manipulating workout variables, we create a certain biological state in the body that
stimulates processes to take place which can either positively or negatively affect our
progress.

Each of these stimuli can contribute to one or more of our overall goals of fat loss,
recomposition, muscle gain, or strength increase.

Read More Here: Training Stimuli – What Are They?

Trainability: The ability to recover from and adapt to a given stimulus at a point in time.  It is
the difference between how much volume of a stimulus is required to trigger an adaptation
and your maximum amount of volume of that stimulus you are able to recover from. 
Trainability varies by stimulus and is constantly changing as you adapt, recover, and progress.

Let's Get Specific

If you’ve read about periodization before from other sources, you may have seen a few things
like:

Periodization is…

… increasing the number of sets per body part over time then de-loading by doing less sets for
a while, repeat

… undulating your rate of perceived effort (RPE) or the reps in reserve (RIR) from week to
week

… undulating your rep range from workout to workout or week to week

While technically those are form a periodization in the broadest sense of the word, if we are
looking for optimal periodization, those are all incorrect (or at least very inefficient and
misguided) when considering the principles we teach at N1.

This is where understanding the terms we defined above are of paramount importance.

To create a more accurate outline of what good training periodization is, albeit still general
enough to apply to every goal and individual, here are the qualifications I would say
encompass it:

1. Manipulating training variables to achieve a specific stimulus or stimuli during each

training program
2. Ordering training programs to maximize recovery and performance across each one
3. Using multiple programs across all three training phases that contribute to the overall
goal of the individual
4. Using multiple stimuli within each phase to achieve the fastest possible progress based
on your trainability

Trainability is Key

Understanding and adhering to trainability is extremely important.

Why?

I’m glad you asked.

Trainability determines at what point you will eventually stop being able to adequately adapt
to a given stimulus. Basically, when you hit your trainability threshold you plateau and may
even start seeing certain markers decline.  Some might refer to this as “overtraining”, but in
this case it is specific to the stimulus created by your workouts.

If you know what the stimulus of your workout is, you can switch to a different one before
you hit that point of diminishing returns and still continue making progress with another
stimulus that contributes to your goal rather than just doing a week of less sets or at a lower
intensity.  Neither of which will help you continue making progress and are likely just
slowing down your recovery if you’re doing the same type of training since you’re not giving
your body a break from that stimulus.

Example Time!

Let’s say your goal is fat loss and you’re doing a program that is very locally metabolic. You
build up a great pump and burn in the individual muscles.  Usually with higher reps and
shorter rest periods.

Progress starts out great.  You lose a few pounds, are looking leaner, and the workouts feel
great.

Then, your weight stops moving and maybe you even start gaining a little.  You are starting to
look a little bloated or “watery” in the mirror and you start losing those great pumps before
the end of the workout. Or maybe you even have a harder time getting a pump at all.

These are all indicators that you have hit your trainability threshold for that local metabolic
stimulus.  You may have even overdone it a bit and are accumulating some inflammation that
is resulting in the decreased pumps, gaining weight, and looking bloated.

This is where the periodization part comes in.

Rather than just doing less sets or working at a lower intensity (lighter loads, same weight), 
we might suggest that you transition to what we would consider a neurological type of
program.  Typically this would be associated with a strength goal, but when designed properly
with matching nutrition can work great for fat loss too.

The main benefit in this case is that it allows your muscles to recover from the metabolic
stress and decrease inflammation.  The second benefit is that you can spend a little bit of time
improving your ability to contract more muscle tissue in every rep which will enhance your
metabolic training when you return to it.  This would also be what we consider a de-load for
metabolic training. To learn more about the benefits and how to perform a proper de-load,
read “De-Load: Why it Matters”.

After enough time to where your muscles have become re-sensitized to local metabolic stress,
you could either return to the same program or a different metabolic stimulus.  So in this case
your periodization would look like this:

Local metabolic training > neurological (strength focused) training > Local metabolic or
systemic metabolic training
The nutrition of course will be a huge factor here as the calories and macronutrient ratios
would need to change from program to program in order to continue complimenting your fat
loss goal.

This is just a very isolated example, but gives you an idea of how you can continue
progressing without just doing “less stuff” as your only tool when you start to plateau or
things aren’t going well.

Key Point Summary

The most valuable things to take away from this article are:

1. Good periodization is not just undulating the total number of sets per body part or
perceived effort (RIR, RPE, etc)
2. Periodization is built around creating specific training stimuli within each program
3. De-loading is a part of periodization but doesn’t mean you have to stop making
progress
4. Proper periodization allows you to reach your long-term goals faster

In part 2, we’ll dive more into the actual effects of training variables, how they contribute to
periodization, and why just varying the number of sets or perceived effort in a workout is
illogical once you understand the basic principles.

PERIODIZATION 2

Since we covered the basics of what training periodization should encompass in Part 1, now
we can dive into the more advanced details of planning program periodization with proper
program design.

The most common variables that I see changed in attempts at periodization are:

 Changing the split

 “Different” exercises
 Changing the number of sets
 Adjusting the %1RM, RPE, RIR or whatever other method you like to use for relative
effort per set.

Those are all valid and important things to consider when planning periodization. However,
that only scratches the surface, especially when you learn the art of program design using the
principles and specificity of stimuli we teach in the N1 Education courses.  The last 3 might
be decent micro-progressions within a program, but using those as your sole means of
“periodization” long-term is inadequate.

Program Variables to Consider

Here are a few more programming variables that need to be accounted for:

 Tempo
 Rest intervals
 Resistance profile of the exercises
 Exercise order
 Exercise pairing
 Training frequency
 Time under significant tension
 Volume of stimulus (this is not just number of sets or sets x reps x load, it’s more
complex than that)

Many of these variables interact with one another too, so it’s important to know that there is a
relationship there. For example, generally the volume within a workout will be inverse to the
frequency with which you can train.

Once we have all those laid out in front of us, we need to be able to combine them to design a
program that creates a desired stimulus.  Then we have to look at how we want to go about
planning periodization of the stimuli to compliment the long term goal.

When & Where to Change Programs

As mentioned in Part 1, the goal of planning periodization out is to keep the individual
progressing in one aspect or another without plateauing.  The key here is tracking and
assessing their trainability over the course of a program and switching before or right at the
point of diminishing returns.  The next program should be something that minimally overlaps
with the program they just came out of.

For example, if you just finished a program focused on mechanical damage for hypertrophy,
the next program should likely be something that minimizes mechanical trauma.  If we look at
two training variables that compliment this goal they would be; resistance profiles that bias
away from the lengthened position and less sets to failure (especially in the lengthened
position of the muscle).

In this example we might put them into a systemic type of program with exercises that bias
the shortened position of the muscles. Or, we go could with a sarcoplasmic hypertrophy
program with still a bias towards the shortened position.  Both of these would allow recovery
of the pathways that are taxed during a mechanically damaging program while focusing on
adaptations that will benefit their overall goal of hypertrophy.

But how would a systemic program benefit hypertrophy?

Excellent question!

The Concept of Potentiation

Potentiation: To increase the outcome of a future action.

For example, the adaptations gained from a previous stimulus complimenting the ability to
benefit or perform in a future stimulus.

By performing certain types of training we gain adaptations that potentiate, or improve, our
ability to perform in a future program.  It is an indirect way of working towards a goal in the
short term that will ultimately speed up progress in the long term.

Using the example above, by performing a systemic training program for someone with a
hypertrophy goal, it will improve their ability to handle a more dense training session without
being limited by their cardiovascular tolerance or possibly their liver’s tolerance to a higher
volume of lactic acid.  Another example would be to use a local AMPK focused program to
improve their individual muscles’ conditioning, which would allow them to recover more
quickly between sets and potentially push further into fatigue or failure in a future
hypertrophy-focused program.

Planning program periodization with effects of potentiation in mind is a major consideration

when we are working with our N1 online clients.  We often know up to 3-4 programs in
advance what stimuli we are going to focus on.  Then it comes down to determining when to
change programs based on their progress and assessing their trainability.

If you really want to get the best and fastest long-term progress for yourself or your clients,
understanding how to order programs to take advantage of trainability and potentiation will be
massively important.

It Takes Education, Understanding, & Practice

The goal of this article is to hopefully open your mind up to everything that goes into
designing GOOD programs and planning periodization optimally.  It takes extensive
knowledge, understanding, and practice to become skilled at putting all of these things
together. 

Even our N1 students have to practice and take time to improve their ability to write programs
efficiently.  Starting out it may take significantly longer as you are learning, but with practice
and an understanding of how these things all work together you’ll be writing MUCH better
programs and eventually things will also become much faster.  Not to mention your results
(and your clients if you’re a trainer) will speak for themselves.

If you’d like to learn more about the topics covered in these articles please check out the N1
Nutrition & Program Design course or the full N1 Certification (which includes the program
design course, two additional courses, and a 3-day Practical to round out your coaching skills)
 

DE-LOAD WHY IT MATTERS?

Introduction

The old-school concept of a de-load focuses on two things.

1. Simply to decrease the “total volume” by lowering the number of sets and reps.
2. Decrease the intensity (perceived effort) of the sets.  The current terminology that is
used often refers to having a higher RIR (reps in reserve) when de-loading.

This overly simplistic way of looking at it fails to take into context some very important
information… The stimulus of the training.

The primary issue with the first point is that attempting to calculate volume with a simple
third-grade math equations of multiplying total sets x reps x weight is highly flawed.  It tells
you nothing about the actual effect your workout has on your body biologically. If you want
to learn more about volume, we have longer more in-depth videos
available HERE and HERE.

The issue with the second is that while just training “less hard” might be a bit of a break from
higher intensity work, you are essentially wasting time you could be progressing in other
areas.  More on that in a second.

When we begin to understand how training with different rep ranges, rest periods, resistance
profiles, tempos, etc. we can create different types of stress or stimulus for the body to adapt
to.  Often times when we begin to slow down in progress, what is needed is a change in
stimulus, not simply “doing less work”.

Wouldn’t you rather change to a type of training where you can still reap some benefits
and positive adaptations that just maintain where you are doing sub-maximal work?

What is a De-Load?

A de-load, as it relates to training, is a decrease of one or multiple stimuli for a period of time.
It is more than just decreasing variables such as the number of sets or perceived effort.
Intelligently utilizing de-loads is not only valuable, but essential for speeding up your ability
to make progress and avoid plateaus.

A de-load does not have to mean absolutely no training, although sometimes that is exactly
what is needed. Depending on what the stimulus is we’re trying to take a break from we may
have to change one or several variables of the workouts. There are many benefits to
implementing a de-load, but here are some of the most valuable and impactful on your
continued results.
Desensitize to a Particular Stimulus

The body is designed to adapt to physical stressors as a survival mechanism. We use this to
our advantage in training to create desirable changes to our physiology. Increased muscle
mass, more efficient nervous system, improved endurance and stamina are all adaptations to
the stimulus we create in training. However, subjecting your body to the same stimulus for too
long will decrease the rate at which your body adapts over time.

An example of this would be to go from a highly metabolic workout and de-load using a
strength-focused (neurological) program for 1-2 weeks. This both gives the metabolic
processes that you’ve been taxing a break, and can allow you to improve your contraction
intensity and coordination, which will benefit you in all future training.

By implementing a de-load, a break from a given stimulus, you will desensitize your body to
that stress. This does not mean you will totally lose your adaptations, but simply that when
you reintroduce it you’ll start responding again almost as quickly as when you first began. We
go much more in depth on this process and how we can leverage it to our advantage in
the Nutrition & Program Design for Trainabilitycourse.

Decrease Inflammation

Inflammation can be a result of many factors and is not always a bad thing. Acute
inflammation is part of a healing response from the body. However, excess or chronic
inflammation can slow down your ability to recover, build muscle, and lose body fat.
Subjecting your body to oxidative stress or muscular mechanical damage from training is
inflammatory.

To an extent, this is good and part of the adaptation process that we are looking for. You
might notice it as soreness (a.k.a. DOMS) for a day or two after training. Eventually the stress
may be more than your body can recover from and the positive benefits may begin to decrease
while other less desirable symptoms begin to manifest.

Taking a break from these types of training stimuli can allow your body to bring down
cellular inflammation which will result in several potential health marker improvements;
faster recovery, increased glucose sensitivity, decreased subcutaneous water, improved pumps
during training, and better quality sleep. It also means that when you reintroduce these
training stimuli, you’ll be able to reap much more of the beneficial adaptations.

Improve Detoxification and Removal of Cellular Waste

Certain types of training demand a large supply of your body’s resources to run recovery
processes. Your body will naturally prioritize those as it deems them necessary for survival.
This can result in other processes either to take place less frequently than is optimal, or at a
slower rate. Over time this can be detrimental to your health, both on a cellular and systemic
level. Backing off on training that stimulates metabolically expensive pathways, like protein
synthesis, will allow the body to utilize its available micronutrients to run essential processes
such as detoxification and removing cellular waste.
Nervous System Recovery (Regain Parasympathetic Dominance)

Resistance training is an extremely neurologically complex activity. It also results in a shift

from parasympathetic (a.k.a. “rest and digest”) to sympathetic (a.k.a. “Fight or flight”)
dominance. A sympathetic state is a stressed state. Hormones like cortisol and catecholamines
are elevated, while non-essential systems (like digestion) are essentially halted as the body is
in survival mode. While this is necessary for performance and some adaptations, it is not a
state that we want to be in a majority of the time. As soon as training is over, or the “danger”
has passed, we want our system to return to a parasympathetic and relaxed state as quickly as
possible.

Repetitive high intensity training without adequate rest can result in the body never truly
getting into a fully parasympathetic dominant state. This will inhibit recovery both for your
nervous system and other recovery processes. Depending on the intensity and systemic
demand of a workout, it can take several days for the nervous system to fully recover.

Mental Health

Sometimes we just need time to live life. As much as we are all passionate about training, we
shouldn’t live to train but train to enhance our enjoyment of life. Occasionally taking a few
days completely off from working out and enjoying time with family, friends, or other
activities you enjoy can do wonders to improve your health and well being. The decrease in
physical and mental stress can have profound effects on how your body looks and how you
feel.

Establish a Baseline

When starting with a new client, the N1 coaches almost always program a de-load first. This
doesn’t mean that the first week of coaching has zero training (although occasionally it does),
but the workouts are designed to be minimally stressful from a biological perspective or at
least the opposite of what they have been doing. Before trying to create a certain stimulus or
significantly adjust nutrition, it is important to see how they handle nutrients, sleep, digest,
and recover with minimal outside stress. This gives a better idea of what to prioritize for the
individual to maximize recoverability and how to program for their goals.

CONCLUSION

De-loading can be simply changing the training stimuli or taking the complete off.
The simplest thing to do is to pick a style of training that is far enough away from the stresses
of your current program to allow your body to recover while you can take time to focus on
improvements in other areas.

Rep Ranges Matter in Your Program

Rep ranges are an important variable in the effect of each set. When combined with tempo,
they determine the time under tension and the load you will be able to use. Reps, tempo, and
load all combine to determine the quality that each rep/set is training, and the stimulus to that
muscle tissue.

Reps and tempo when combined properly, provide a harmonious stimulus of contraction and
tension in the muscle by being able to maximize the qualities of a given exercise. A good
program will have pretty firm rep ranges. This means a prescribed rep range of no more than
3 reps, for instance 8-10, which includes 8, 9, and 10. A very comprehensive program for a
more seasoned trainee will have a lot of sets with a range of 1 or 2. The lower the reps, the
smaller the range should be.

An occasional range of say 5 on the last exercise of a workout or tri-set when the reps are 15
or greater is an acceptable practice. However, if your workout is full of 10-15’s or 5-10’s etc
then it’s time to get yourself on a better program. The stimulus of a set of 5 vs 10 is so
drastically different that this practice is absolutely unacceptable in a program.

A program should be designed for a goal. It is not a choose your own destiny session. This
requires precision in all training variables, reps, tempo, rest, sets etc. This is why we stress
that our clients adhere to their given rep ranges regardless of how challenging the set is.

Remember that not all sets are meant to take you to failure. Rest intervals and volume over a
workout are important things to consider. Often times ambitious trainees will sacrifice the
goal if the workout by prematurely exhausting themselves in the workout by extending sets
with load or TUT that was not prescribed. This can completely diminish the benefits of the
rest of the workout, and alter the training stimulus outside the goal of the program. If you do
happen to horribly underestimate the weight to be used, scrap the set and do another with a
more appropriate weight. Don’t perform a set that is outside the parameters of the workout
stimulus, as this may interfere with the training effect.

Reps are also one of the best progression tools throughout a program. If you do not program
them precisely it makes it very difficult to track progress and make the appropriate
progressions from week to week in the program.

Guidelines

Now, I think all programs have reps in them, but how do you know the reps are being
programmed appropriately? That’s a complicated question, but what I can do is give you a
few examples of when rep ranges may be totally off.

1) Rep ranges and tempo need to work together. High reps and long tempos have little
application. Outside of recovering from an injury superslow training has little to no benefit
towards muscle growth or body composition and is likely inferior compared to a more
appropriate tempo. Be wary if your program consists of a lot of single exercises that are done
for more than 60-70 seconds (not including the sum of supersets).

2) Your highest reps or longest TUT sets should likely be at the end of your workout, and
accordingly lowest at the beginning. This is especially true when we are discussing the same
body part.
3) It’s very rare that you would have sets of similar type exercises that differ by more than 4-6
reps. So a workout that starts with an A series exercise at 4-6. Then a B series at 10-12
followed by a c series in the 15-20, is likely not a good program. Keep in mind that there are
always rare scenarios that require things outside the norm in programming, but those should
be the rarity in your program, not the normal occurrence in your programs.

UNDERSTANDING LABELS

Letters indicate an exercise group. All exercises with the same letter are performed in a
sequential fashion until all sets have been completed. Numbers simply indicate the order of
the exercises within a group. Just like reading a book, you will follow the workouts from left
to right and then down to the next line.  When reading the workouts, you will perform the
indicated reps with the prescribed tempo and take the rest period written before moving down
to the next exercise in the group.  Once you reach the end of a group you will go back to the
first exercise listed and repeat the process until you have completed the appropriate number of
sets before moving on to the next group. Do not skip the rest periods! The rest periods within
a group can have a significant influence on what type of stimulus you will get from the
workout.  If there are four exercises (B1, B2, B3, B4), doing them one after the other will
have a drastically different effect on what type of stimulus is created compared to if you were
to rest 60 seconds between each exercise.

Learning how to read and implement tempos are a key for your success in the N1 program.
Tempos are used for progression, changing resistance profiles, altering the stimulus to the
nervous system, emphasizing what is being recruited and where it’s being recruited.

Tempos in Your Program

Lifting tempos will be written in your program to explain the intent in which the exercise
should be performed. Common lifting tempos are: 3011, 4010, 3110. Let’s look at the 3110
tempo.   3 – Time in the eccentric 1 – Time pausing after the eccentric in the lengthened
position of the muscle 1 – Time in the concentric 0 – Time at the end of the concentric.
This is the shortened position of the muscle.

Eccentric

The first number is the eccentric portion of the exercise, in the above case the number 3, is the
amount of time we would like you to spend in the eccentric portion of the exercise. The
eccentric is when the muscle we are trying to train is lengthening. For example, the lowering
of the dumbbells in a curl or the raising of the cable during a lat cable pull down. The
important thing to remember is that this is not always the lowering of a weight or at the start
of the exercise.  It is the lengthening of the muscle.

Lengthened Position

The second number, in the above example 1, is the pause after the eccentric. A pause after the
eccentric is a way to reduce momentum and maintain tension in the muscle being trained. For
example, in the bottom of a squat there is still tension and this is a good place for a pause to
be programed. Pauses can be written for 1 second or more depending on what the emphasis of
the exercise and program are.

Concentric

The third number, in the above example 1, is the time spent in the concentric. This is the
actual contraction of the muscle and movement of the load.

Shortened Position

The fourth and final number, in the above example 0, is the time spent in the peak of the
contraction. If there is a time written here, usually 1-2 seconds, it is called an isometric.  You
are not just holding the weight there. You are consciously trying to squeeze the muscle as
hard as possible, as if you were trying to make it cramp. We must take into account the
resistance profile of an exercise when writing an appropriate tempo.  Take two examples the
barbell squat and the leg extension. In the top of the barbell squat there is no reason for a
written pause. The joints are stacked, and there is no tension in the muscle. A pause written
here is allowing the muscle to rest. In the leg extension there is load in the peak of the
contraction and time spent here is acceptable.

Summary

Key points to remember:

 The first number is not always when the exercise starts, it is the eccentric
 The eccentric is the lengthening “stretch” of a muscle
 The concentric is the shortening of a muscle “contraction or lifting of the load”
 First number – the eccentric, the lengthening “stretch” of the muscle
 Second number – pause in the lengthened position
 Third number – the concentric, the shortening of the muscle “the lifting of the load”
 Fourth number – the pause in the peak of the contraction

Do not ignore the tempos written in your program, they are key in achieving the stimulus
written for your training phase.  

BEGINNERS

00:22 When you first start training

01:22 When we talk about training there are two things we need to accomplish

02:05 Achiving a stimulus and recovery for a beginner

04:36 In a beginner you don’t need much to get alot; you don’t want to do more than what is
needed

07:15 The practical side for a beginner

08:05 When you do more volume than you need the fatigue starts to effect your execution

09:01 If volume is lower and spread out over multiple days, the quality of your reps and sets
will be better

Part 2

00:08 Practicing quality reps

01:40 Making improvements in your proficiency at any activity

05:06 When your a beginner you have so many things that say frequency is the tool;
frequency is your friend

06:10 Becoming more efficient at a movement; agonist vs antagonist

07:48 For everybody maximizing frequency is going to be one of the best tools you can use

Beginner should focus on frequency as their main tool for progress

When you first start training, maybe you ve never trained before or you trained a little bit, you
donțt need to do a lot of volume in order to get results. Itțs not one of those things -more is
better- , if you double the dose it doesnțt necessarly mean that youțre gonna get any more,
definitely not double, more progress. SO a lot of people thing more is better because it s just a
human condition thing, so they will look at what the top body buulders or fitness influencers
are doing and they thing likje this: - oh, that person is doing this and they look like that,
therefore i wanna look like that i m gonna do that- and that doesnțt work, cause everything
needs to be individualised and that person who has that look that you want has built up their
adaptation.

So, when we talk about training there are 2 things we need to accomplish: we need to produce
the stimulus that will give us some sort of positive response and usually if it s muscle gain for
example we gonna try to initiate all the cascades like increase protein intake, progressive
overload etc, if it s fat loss it might be the increase of the ability to utilise fat etc. the big thing
you need to understand istt hat to achieve.a stimulus when you start you don t need a lot of
volume that s why when you start ur workout you get soar. So STIMULUS is one factor, the
other one is RECOVERY – it doesn t matter if we have achieved a stimulus, if we are not
recovered from it. A big portion of the adaptation that we get from doing any training either
strength or endurance is things that facilitate recovery. Soi f you take somebody that is a
beginner and you look at their ability to respond to mechanical stress , to run protein synthesis
or to deal with oxydative stress withing the cells it is higher than a beginner . SO one of the
main reasons that you can t just double the stimulus i show much of a response you get from
the training that you do is going to be limited by your recovery and that stuff improves over
time as we get more and more adaptations to be able to do this stuff at a faster rate or
efficiently or etc. If you push deeper than your recovery is, all that is doing ist o decrease the
net results you get.
So, as a beginner, you don t have a lot of adaptations for recovery and the stimulus that you
need is very low, the other thing is that when a beginner trains, they are going to be
stimulating more different phyisiological processes simultaneously, because the same
workout might be metabolically taxing and mechanically traumatizing tot hem because of the
weights, SO in a beginner you don t need much to get a lot cause your recovery is very
limited.

TO GET THE BEST RESULTS, what you donțt want to do is: do more than is needed cause
what this is gonna do is going to decrease how often you can do it. SO you have to look at it
like this: imagine that you re in a 3rd world village and you need to transport water. Now
when you re young you don t have a lot of body weight so you can move fast so it would be
more suitable for you to have a small bucket and go back and forth back and forth to be able
to get a lot of water. If i gave you a biiig bucket to start with, you fill that thing up and then
you won t be really able tom ove you ll be dragging it and dragging it , you have to stop and
all this task will take you plenty of time. So that s essentially what you should do with your
workouts: to try to get that effect as often as you can with not too much volume. Now, the kid
grew up and became more muscular, so giving him that small bucket it will be a waste of
time, so now that he s bigger and stronger, what i can do i can give him that big bucket and
now hec an get more out of that big bucket because hec an handle it, it doesn t really slow him
down and that s essentially what you have to do with volume when it comes to training: as
you start to get adaptations, you ll be able to recover from more and also your trashhold for
that stimulus will be higher so the volume will go up, but if you put a lot of volume, that extra
volume will only slow down your progress. So you need to focus on doing things more often.
That s more from a physiological stand point, let s just talk about the practical side because to
be honest that s sometimes the most important side is the practical side because you know,
training with lower volume higher frequency staff sometimes that split can be actually fewer
days a week so you re getting more out of less time in the gym and also gives you more time
to practice good execution in good condition. So say you re gonna you want to improve your
squat: you can squat 1 day/week with a tone of volume and be super soar or you can squat 3
times/week with lower volume. Now how fast you improve ur squat as a beginner it s gonna
be very different between those 2 scenarios. Hwne you do a lot of volume, espacially more
volume than you need, the fatigue starts to affect your execution, it s gonna affect your ability
to recruit tissue, the quality of contractions you re getting and starts to affect how much
mechanical trauma happens so the mechanics of the lift will actually start to change as you get
fatigued. So, if when youre practicing a squat, a good portion of those reps and sets are done
in a state of fatigue, you may not be practicing your best squat technique, as your glutes and
quads can t do as much work, so you might develop the habbit of using more of your lower
back, more adductors etc, balancing over the bottom etc you re starting developing all these
bad habbits to be able to finish the workout where if the volume is lower, but spread out over
multiple days, what you gonna do is you gonna do that lift in a less fatigue state but with the
same amount of volume if not more within a week which means the quality of those reps and
sets is gonna be higher and therefore the progress in yout technique is gonna be faster, you re
gonna improve your coordination, you gonna improve that recruitment pattern faster and
ultimately you re gonna become more proficient at that lift.

Now that will come a time when you need to drop that frequency and add volume because of
what you need to do from a loading perspective/from a. Stimulus perspective , then it will
make sense to use the best method that s gonna get the best results. The best your technique,
the faster your results.
Soi f you can do better reps, your sets are better, therefore your program is better etc

PART 2
So best thing you can do for a beginner is high frequency with quality reps, so that you get
better at execution so that when it comes time to challenge yourself harder than you re gonna
be more resiliant and resistant to breakdown in execution and be able to keep the target
muscle working (ex you re doing a program for glutes and then when your glutes are fatigues
what your body is doing he s gonna engage the other muscles into the movement like
hamstrings, addcutors and as the program gets harder they ll actually be using less and less
glute). So when you look at long term results, we have the physiological long term results that
we re going for but we also have the improvement as an athlete You have to be able to control
the muscle you re working in order to get results if you wanna be the sculptor of your body.

In order to be your own body sculptor, you must be able to execute the exercises with proper
technique, and that requires practice, frequent practice. Just thing about it: if you wanna learn
something, the most often you expose yourself tot hat thing the faster you learn it. The same
thing happens with movements and contractions. Our nervous system controls the body with
the same brain that you learn how to spell or you learn how to do math or you learn a new
language. So when we look at memorizing things over time or reach that point when things
become our 2nd nature, well that happens from frequent exposue. No one is naturally perfect
at exercising, they might haave one or 2 body parts that they are pretty good at because of
what they did in their past, runner basketball player etc but for the most part, everybody has a
lot of compensaton in their movement patterns that are somehow inefficient because we just
don t live a perfect lifestyle and if we can make improvements on that, the quality of our
training will go up, and if we do that thing frequently, the quality will improve faster.

SO when youțre a beginner, you have so many things, let s say frequency is the tool, you can
build muscle, lose fat or a combination of both as long as you choose frequency over volume.

GETTING BETTER at your exercises will actually be the most important improvement in
strength.

When initally start training, that initial increase in strength that you get is not from increased
muscle size, when people start training they feel like they put on a lot of muscle but in reality
what they ve done they ve started to get that muscle to store more water And sugar. So when
does all that strength come from? It comes from our nervous system learning how to be more
efficient with the movement, your body basically stops resisting itself because at any point of
time when we are doing a movement the agonist and antagonist both are contracting soi f i m
doing a bicep curl my triceps is also contracting somewhere on the other side to help stabilize
the joint. Now if i don t ever do that hard, or heavy or long than guess what? I will probably
overusing my tricpes because i will be overemphasizing the stability in that joint rather than
being efficient to moving the load

For everybody, really maximizing frequency is the best toold you can use. Now there just
comes a time when the amount of volume you will need will limit how frequently you can do
something, but more often than not, you still gonna want to find a way that you can do
whatever stimulus you re doing as frequent as possible, for that adaptation to occur, regardless
of what training you re at and when you re a beginner is so much more important because
volume actually doesn t provide any extra benefits, it just tends to take away. It just makes
you soar for no reason and sometimes it can actually negate your net progress as you just don
t have the ability to recover from that that well, so what a lot of people do is they push
themselves into a lot of volume and then it makes it very hard because if they also start a diet,
adding all that trauma to the tissue and then not being able to support that nutritionally can
create a lot of issues, it cxan create cravings, prolonged inflammation, digestion issues, sleep
issues, all sorts of staff because you actually you re tripling the amount of stress on your body.

JUNK VOLUME

OUR GOAL is hypertrophy here, growing that booty. Any sets or additional work done past
that is junk volume, as it will only increase the deamands on your recovery without bringing
any additional benefit.

So if you continue to add sets past your ability to recover, this “junk volume” increases stress
on your body unnecessarily and if too far in excess may actually take you a step backward.

Faster recovery mean you can train more frequently and it give you more room to
progressively load overtime. Trying to do too much too fast will have the opposite effect and
you’ll find that you’ll plateau very quickly.

POST-HOLIDAY EXERCISE: WHY YOU SHOULD NOT JUMP INTO CARDIO?

So it’s the day after the splurge, and you’re ready to make amends.  After passing out with a
distended belly and waking up to find that the bloating did not pass overnight, guilt begins to
set in.  It was only at 2pm this past Thanksgiving when I read the first post, “Definitely hitting
the treadmill hard tomorrow.” While I admire the effort of many of you trying to work off the
mounds of mashed potatoes on Black Friday, I must insist that aerobic, off-termed “cardio”
exercise is not the way to do it.

Heavy meals increase cortisol and insulin, and put a lot of stress on the body.  When it comes
to exercise, aerobic training increases stress on the body the most, while providing the least
benefits to balancing insulin and cortisol.  If you want to combat sweet carbohydrates, you
need to bring the big bombs. Your holiday exercise plan needs to include resistance training.
Resistance training is the best way to improve insulin sensitivity. So lifting heavy weights in
big exercises like squats, deadlift, bench press, and chin ups are much more likely to get your
body back on track than hitting the treadmill or elliptical.

Better yet, plan ahead and try to get in a good weight training session during the day before
you sit down to  eat your weight in pie and cookies. At least that way your muscles will be
more likely to take up a greater amount of that excess glucose with less of a need for elevated
insulin. Plus, you’ll have more room to store glucose in your muscle tissue if you burn off a
bit of glycogen first.

Some of the reasons people love the aerobic training

 Aerobic training increases cortisol, so it gives you energy, but it increases cortisol too
much because this is a survival response meant to keep you alive.
  Aerobic training is low intensity.  When you’re tired it’s easier to do a light activity
rather than lift something heavy.  You get out what you put in though, so taking it easy
is a waste of time.
 Aerobic training is simple and requires little thought.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist
to jump on a recumbent bike, but putting together a weightlifting workout takes a few
minutes of thinking.  It’s what separates us from the lower species, people. Don’t be
afraid to use your brain.
 People falsely believe that they need to do cardio to lose weight or lose fat.  The truth
is, weight lifting is not just for building muscles. It is also one of the most effective fat
loss methods when done right.  The problem with most people is that weight training
turns into social hour with more chatting than lifting.

If you insist on doing some running as a part of your holiday exercise regimen, use interval
training rather than steady state jogging.  Use sprint intervals with 100-300% rest. This means
if you do a 1 min sprint you rest or walk 1-3 minutes before repeating.  Try to keep your
intervals between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. Over 2 minutes is too low of an intensity and is
getting more into pure aerobic training.  A complete session of intervals should take less than
20 minutes depending on your work:rest ratios. If you can go longer than that you’re
sandbagging on the work intervals or resting far too long.

MEAL REPLACEMENT SHAKES

Can I Substitute Protein Shakes for Meals?

Because protein is so important, it’s best to get your protein in any way you can rather than
not get it.  However, there are some major differences between having a solid food protein
and a protein shake.

Protein Powders

Protein powders come in all forms these days.  Whey and Casein proteins from dairy, isolates
from meat and eggs, as well as veggie protein powders (rice, pea, hemp).

The two biggest differences between protein powders and protein foods are digestion and fat
content.  When you eat a steak, the amino acids are slowly digested and taken up as your body
breaks down the protein in the meat.  This allows for a slower, more steady release of amino
acids into the bloodstream. This is most important when your goal is to lose body fat.  Many
amino acids are glucogenic meaning that they can be converted into glucose in the liver and
used as a carbohydrate.

When you get a surge of amino acids, like what occurs when ingesting protein powder, the
amino acids are absorbed much faster, and this results in a higher insulin response than the
slow digesting meat.  This is advantageous after a workout, but during the day spiking insulin
is not going to help you shed that muffin top. You will also lose a greater amount of your
protein to conversion to carbohydrates.

 
Glucogenic Amino Acids (in Humans)

 Glycine
 Serine
 Valine
 Histidine
 Arginine
 Cysteine
 Proline
 Alanine
 Glutamate
 Glutamine
 Aspartate
 Asparagine
 Methionine

Amino acids that are both glucogenic and ketogenic:

 Isoleucine
 Threonine
 Phenylalanine
 Tyrosine
 Tryptophan

Only leucine and lysine are not glucogenic.

An important note is that studies on whey protein show that it does increase blood sugar and
insulin, but actually decreases blood sugar in the hours post digestion.  This makes whey
protein ideal for post workout even when fat loss is the goal.

Most protein powders and supplements have little to no fat content.

This means you lose those synergistic effects you get from eating grass fed meats and fish. 
This can limit their benefits when taken away from workout periods.

Recap

Whether you are trying to lose fat, build muscle, or just stay full of energy and satisfied all
day, using both protein from foods and powders is beneficial.  Limit your powders to when
your body needs a faster influx of amino acids like post workout, and use food as much as you
can away from training.

Too many protein shakes can plateau your body fat goals in a hurry.  If you struggle getting
your protein in throughout the day, you can try adding small amounts of protein
supplementation to your meals or at the least try to consume some healthy fats and veggies
with a protein shake ( example: a shake plus some broccoli and pasture raised butter)
For some more tips on making healthy nutrition an easier part of your lifestyle, check out the
content linked below.

TOXINS & DETOX

Toxicity

Toxicity is one of the easier factors to control for transformation.  Exposure to toxins comes
from what you eat, drink, put on your skin, or inhale.  Three of those four are easy to manage.
The last and most un-suspecting source of toxicity is your own gut which we will get to later.

In terms of body composition, research suggests toxicity from petrol chemicals is one of the
leading causes of obesity.  To you as a whole person these microscopic toxins seem inert and
un-effecting to your daily life. To your cells however, they are very dangerous,  especially
over time and with accumulation.

In terms of body composition the biggest thing to know is that the more toxins you have built
up in your body, the slower your metabolism will run and the more dysregulated your
hormones will become. If you are not detoxifying chemicals like xylene and benzene that you
are exposed to everyday just from breathing the air outside or drinking water, then you are at
risk of lowering the effectiveness of your thyroid.  It only takes a 1% decrease in thyroid
function to lower your metabolism ~3%. For the average person that burns 2000 calories a
day, that’s equal to 6lbs of fat you could gain a year for every 1% your thyroid is affected.
Toxins also increase inflammation and the more inflamed you are, the more fat and less
muscle you will accumulate.

To protect your organs and nervous system from toxins, your body will store excess toxins in
fat tissue, where they are less harmful.  This means during a fat loss program, you will
actually have not only the burden of the toxins you come into contact with every day, but the
toxins you have been storing as well.  

What Are Toxins?

Toxins can be defined as any compound that negatively impacts metabolic and endocrine
pathways.  This can be as simple as the acid and metabolic byproducts of metabolism you
make all day long. However, most of our toxic burden now comes from the outside world. 
There have been literally hundreds of new toxins put into our environment in the last 40 years.
It has become impossible to escape high toxic exposure in the environment no matter how
pristine the area you live.   Toxic exposure is unavoidable. Petrochemicals are in the air and
water, pesticides in food and water, flame retardants in furniture, heavy metals in food and
supplements.

I’m not trying to make anyone paranoid but you can’t avoid this stuff, it’s everywhere.  You
can’t live in a bubble. The best thing you can do is get the nutrients you need to detoxify these
toxins out of your body, and limit the exposures you can control.  You can control some of
what you put on your body, what you put in your body, and drastically decrease a lot of toxic
exposure by switching to cleaner body products, household cleaners and most importantly
food.  Your body is also equipped with the machinery to get a lot of these toxins out of your
body very fast provided it has the necessary micronutrients. So you are also in control of how
well you detoxify your body every day.

Certain toxins seem to affect certain tissues or systems more than others, but one thing they
all have in common is that they negatively affect body composition.  Any toxic burden will
slow metabolism and therefore energy production. Pesticides and herbicides are linked to
problems with the nervous system, decreasing your strength and muscular control. 
Xenoestrogens and estrogen-like toxins increase inflammation and decrease testosterone
leading to poor insulin sensitivity and muscle loss. Heavy metals disrupt your body’s function
on a cellular level and can cause a multitude of metabolic and hormonal disorders. 

The nice thing about the relationship between toxicity, stress, and malnutrition is that because
they all affect each other, improving in one area can often decrease the burden in the others. 
For instance improving your diet will help you manage stress and detoxify better. Reducing
toxic exposures decreases stress on the body and will leave more energy and nutrients to deal
with training and changing your body composition.  The less toxicity and stress you have, and
the healthier your diet, the more you are in charge of your hormones. The more you are in
charge of your hormones, the more control you have over the way you look and feel.

How to Decrease Toxic Exposure

Know the most common man made toxins we expose ourselves to unknowingly:

Phthalates are chemicals that are added to plastics to impart resilience and flexibility. Smaller
phthalates are used to prolong the length of time that a scented product maintains its
fragrance. Linked to: endocrine, reproductive, and developmental problems.  In terms of fat
loss, phthalates cause symptoms of low testosterone and estrogen dominance leading to
muscle loss and fat accumulation around the extremities and the abdominals. Phthalates also
slow your metabolism by decreasing thyroid function.

Sources of Phthalates: 

 Scented perfumes, lotions, body soaps, shampoos, and conditioners

 Cosmetics
 Tanning lotions
 Hair gel and hair spray
 Nail polish
 Detergents
 Scented candles
 Deodorant
 Plastic/rubber children’s toys
 Air fresheners
 Vinyl furniture
 Plastic food packaging, plastic bags, and plastic clothing
Parabens, like phthalates, are often classified as xenoestrogens:  foreign compounds in the
body functioning as endocrine disruptors by binding specifically to estrogen receptors. 
Parabens are most commonly used as moisturizers and preservatives in personal products.  

Sources of Parabens:

 Lotions, moisturizers, shampoos, and conditioners

 Personal lubricants
 Mouthwash
 Cosmetics
 Toothpaste
 Tanning lotions
 Shaving gel
 Processed foods

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs):

 Carpets with fire retardants 

 Hair dryers
 Clothes and pajamas
 Pet bedding
 Furniture
 Coffee makers
 Blenders
 Microwaves
 Toasters

Bisphenol A (BPA) is used in epoxy resins that line some metal cans, and to make
polycarbonate plastics utilized in a variety of food containers and baby products. Linked to:
endocrine problems.  BPA is also linked to metabolic issues by blocking thyroid function and
fat gain symptoms similar to estrogen dysfunction (fat in the butt and thighs) by binding at the
estrogen site. While initial research on endocrine disruption is mostly on BPA, new research
suggests avoiding plastic contact with your foods especially if heated or acidic is the best.  

Sources of BPA and other plasticizers:

 Food and drink containers

 Plastic bottles
 Canned foods
 Soda cans

Incorporating Detox Days

Loading on greens, antioxidants, P1P2 cofactors, amino acids, fiber. 

Summary: How Toxins Ruin Your Body Composition

Toxic exposure leads to the depletion of nutrients needed for detoxification.  

Toxin accumulation leads to slowed metabolism and inflammation.  Inflammation leads to
decreased testosterone and increased cortisol. 

Toxic accumulation makes you more susceptible to stress and harder for your body to correct
its biochemistry after a stress.  

Signs I need to improve my ability to handle stress and/or amount of stress

 Do you feel the need to avoid high sugar meals because I will crash after?
 Do you avoid certain foods because they give me digestive issues?
 Do you get very tired or anxious if you miss a meal?
 Do you feel tired even after 8-10 hours of sleep?
 Do you do lots of aerobic/cardio training that wears on your adrenals?
 Do you get anxiety, or wired during the day without caffeine?
 Do you have trouble with motivation to do a task or workout?
 Are you dependent on caffeine or pre-workouts?
 Do you have trouble calming down after a workout?
 Do you get sick often after a high stress period?

Signs you’re exposing yourself to too many toxins.  

 Do you eat a lot of non-organic produce?

 Do you eat canned foods that have BPA?
 Do you use cosmetics, soaps, or moisturizers that contain phthalates, parabens, or
petrochemicals?  
 Are you exposed to fumes from paints, finishes, construction adhesives, fragrances, or
exhaust?
 Do you low quality drink tap water or water from plastic bottles?
 Do you eat or drink foods or supplements with dyes or preservatives in them?
 Do you clean your house, clothes, and body with inorganic chemical-based products?
 Do you have mercury amalgam fillings in your teeth?
 Do you cook on teflon or similar non-stick surfaces?
 Do you wear lipstick, perfumes, or scented deodorants/ body sprays?
 Do you heat plastic food containers in the microwave or dishwasher?
 Do you take low quality supplements that can have solvents and heavy metals in
them?
 Do you have chronic fatigue?
 Do you get frequent allergies or headaches?
 Do you have trouble with frequent inflammation?
 Do you have increased joint or tissue pain that is slow to resolve?
 Do you get sick often?

How to Improve your response to stress

  Perception
 Adaptogens
 Anxiolytics
 Neurotransmitters 

Improving everyday cellular alkalinity and detoxification.  

 Electrolytes
 Greens
 Fiber

HOW TOXINS CAN DISRUPT YOUR HORMONES AND MAKE YOU FAT?

How Toxins Can Disrupt Your Hormones

Some toxins can be classified as endocrine disruptors.  In other words they disrupt your
body’s ability to control its hormone production and function.  Because hormones are how our
body communicates between organs and our environment, any disruption can cause serious
health problems.

Some hormones are more vital. Insulin for instance is used to help regulate blood pressure.
When your body loses the function of insulin, there is the immediate risk of dangerously high
blood sugar.  In this case symptoms become apparent quickly.

For other hormones like estrogen and testosterone, the effects are gradual and accumulate
over time. Often times issues with these hormones creep up on people undiagnosed until
severe health issues become apparent.

Endocrine Disruptors

Endocrine disruptors are associated with diseases such as:

 Endometriosis
 Infertility
 Breast cancer
 Ovarian cancer
 Prostate cancer
 Testicular cancer
 Decreased sperm count

Some indirect effects of disruptors are:

 Low energy
 Muscle Loss
 Slowed metabolism
 Fat accumulation in the extremities
 Mood disorders
  Aggression
 Depression
 Increased Cardiovascular risk
 Low sex drive
 Immune disorders
 Nervous system disorders
 Thyroid problems

The most common endocrine disruptors for testosterone and estrogen that people encounter
are: BPA, Triclosan, 4-Nonylphenol, Phthalates and Parabens.  Most of these are classified as
xeno-estrogens or false estrogens. They largely disrupt your body by binding to estrogen on
your cell, exhibiting the physiological effects of estrogen on cells and tissues of your body. 

Phthalates can also give your body the sense that it has more testosterone than it really does.
Combined this makes your body function as if it were producing more estrogen and less
testosterone than it’s supposed to.

How Hormones Are Supposed to Work

Figure 1 (above).  The hormone (red) binds to an open receptor (yellow) on the cell. This
receptor then becomes active and signals the cell to perform the function signaled by the
hormone.
Figure 2 (above).  The endocrine disruptor (blue) can function in two ways. It can sit in the
receptor site without activating it, but blocking activation when the hormone is present (left),
or it can activate the site when no hormones are present (right).

Now some woman might ask, well I’m not supposed to have much testosterone anyway
right?  Actually this problem affects women more so than men. Testosterone is higher in
males, but it is more important in females in terms of managing it.  If a male loses a bit of
testosterone production, he still is making quite a bit. A female on the other hand can not
afford to lose any because she has so little to start with.  Testosterone isn’t just a male
hormone, it is also very important for female metabolism, energy, and sex drive.

Phthalates

Phthalates are also called “plasticizers”, and are found in numerous everyday products such
as:

 Children’s toys
 Cosmetics
 Cleaning products
 Air fresheners
 Perfumes
 Furniture
 Vinyl flooring
 Plastic food containers
 Medical products

The most harmful are the ones used in scented products.  These molecules not only have a
more drastic effect on your health, but by breathing them, you absorb them very easily.  The
second most damaging is from products that you get on your skin.

 
Parabens

Parabens are used as preservatives to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi in
personal care products, such as:

 Shampoo and conditioners

 Soaps
 Makeup
 Lotions and creams
 Shaving gels
 Hair gels
 Pre-packaged foods
 Processed foods.

BPA

BPA exposure occurs mostly through digestion of food and liquids that have been stored and
heated in plastic materials.  It is used in most plastic products and even things like thermal
paper that is used on standard purchase receipts.

BPA on top of being a xenoestrogen type compound also has been linked to obesity,
neurological development delays in infants, thyroid disruption, developmental issues of
sexual organs in infants, and sexual dysfunction in adults.

Sources of BPA:

 Baby bottles
 Water bottles
 Food containers
 Beverage containers
 Plastic dinnerware
 Thermal paper receipts
 Medical and dental devices
 Eyeglass lenses
 Household electronics

Triclosan

Triclosan is an antimicrobial and preservative agent used in personal care products such as
toothpaste, shaving cream, and hand soaps. Exposure occurs from use of these products in the
home. Triclosan bioaccumulates in the body and is considered to block thyroid activity
affecting metabolism and thyroid hormone signaling.

Sources of Triclosan:

 Deodorant
 Toothpaste
 Shaving cream
  Mouthwash
 Hand soaps
 Cosmetics
 Cleaning supplies
 Children’s toys

Check Your Products

A helpful resource you can use to check the safety and environmental friendliness of products
is EWG.org

DO YOU NEED A DIET BREAK?

What Is A "Diet Break"?

A diet break is a short period (usually 5-14 days) during a multi-week fat loss program during
which you bring calories back up to or above what the estimated maintenance calories are for
the individual. Usually it also can involve having a bit more freedom in food selection.

Implementing a “diet break” is a relatively common practice in contest preparation or for

longer-term fat loss programs in general.  The reasoning for utilizing a diet break revolves
around two ideas:

1. It provides a psychological break for the client who now gets to have a little more
satiety and perhaps a few “cheat foods” to help them stay motivated and compliant
when going back to the caloric deficit.
2. The higher calories are thought to help mitigate metabolic rate slowing down due to
being in a caloric deficit for an extended period of time, thus making it easier to keep
losing fat without having to use super low calories and potentially causing metabolic
suppression.

Point #1

The first point has validity. Some people need a mental break from rigidity in their schedule
and meals and it can help them with compliance during the rest of the program.

However, with a bit of creative planning and culinary knowledge there is no reason to get
bored with a meal plan. If you are good at managing macros (understanding what foods you
can easily swap for almost the same nutritional values)  and know your way around the spice
cabinet there are endless possibilities.

Point #2
The second point has some merit if we’re ONLY looking at calories affecting metabolism
over time.

As you are well aware though, training also plays a massive role here. Especially if you’re
following a well-written program that is designed for specific stimuli.

Training stimuli significantly impact not only macronutrient demands but caloric demands
and hormones to a degree as well.  Energy balance certainly plays a major part in changes in
body composition, but the training stimulus can greatly influence things like nutrient
partitioning and hormonal responses that can complement or compete with your goal.

If the nutrition is properly matched to the training stimulus and the program is periodized

appropriately a “diet break”, as traditionally used, is not necessary.  You may switch to a
different training program that is better suited for nutrient partitioning and bring calories up
during that stimulus as a means to avoid suppressing metabolism with an extended deficit.

As long as the energy deficit is not excessive, consecutive multi-day re-feeds should generally
not be needed, unless you are employing a carb cycling approach (which only works for
certain stimuli and shouldn’t be used with every type of training) Watch the video linked
below this article for more on that.

A Better Way

The purpose of this article is not to say that using diet breaks is wrong, but rather that as you
learn more about physiology and program design you’ll find better ways of achieving
continued progress long-term.  

Nutrition manipulation for a long term goal is not just as simple as moving calories up or
down. If it were that simple, everyone and anyone could get lean by staying in a deficit and
maybe having a “diet break” every few weeks.

This is why we invested so much time and effort into constructing the N1 Training
Program nutrition calculators for each individual program.  They are not only designed for
you to individualize it to your goals, but they are specific to the stimuli as well.

Learning to pair the nutrition with the training is one of the key principles in the Nutrition &
Program Design course we provide for personal trainers and online coaches to enhance their
skills and get better results with their clients while increasing compliance and success rate.

MACRO ADHERENCE GUIDELINES

Whether you’re working with an online coach, following the calculator from one of the N1
Programs, or are writing your own nutrition plans, you know that following macronutrient-
based plans to 100% accuracy is a nightmare.

The reality is, in most cases following a diet with >90% accuracy will still get the job done
and the increased effort to achieve that last 10% is often more stressful or challenging than it
is worth for the potential added benefit you’d get from it.  The only time this may not be the
case is in the final stages of contest prep where every macro and micronutrient matters.

Whether you are coaching yourself, coaching others, or being coached the following
guidelines will help you stay on track and give you some tools to hopefully lessen the stress of
“sticking to the plan”.

How Precise Do You Need To Be?

When looking at your daily plan as a whole, a few guidelines we like to give our clients
consist of  the following:

1. Aim to be within 5% of your grams for all macros by the end of the day.
2. Do not count carbs from fibrous vegetables towards your daily allotment, but if you’re
tracking daily fiber do consider it for that.  This includes broccoli, cabbage, spinach,
kale, cauliflower, asparagus, etc.
3. Consider the intent of the meal and don’t stress over minor variations (with the
exception being peri-workout nutrition and supplementation).  For example, not
worrying about a few grams of carbs from nuts if your meal plan says “0” carbs. More
on considering trace macros HERE.
4. Keep in mind that the nutrition plan is designed to achieve results over time. Being a
little off on one day is not a big deal. Consistently being close over a given time period
is more important. For example, if you’re under by 200 calories one day and over by
200 another, in the grand scheme of things you’re still on track.  Look at the bigger
picture and don’t overstress the small things.
5. The easiest way to stay on target is to be consistent with food choices and meal prep.
That helps to eliminate a lot of mental energy spent on counting, measuring, tracking,
and estimating as well as being a significant reduction in potential stress.  Meal prep
doesn’t have to be boring or overly time-consuming. For more tips on meal prep,
check out this ARTICLE.

If you are a veteran at counting and tracking macros, here are some strategies you can employ
to keep closer to your plan if things get a little “off track” and can keep you closer to the big
picture plan on a weekly basis.

Situation Strategy #1: Macro shifting

This is as simple as it sounds.  Let’s say you know you went a bit over or under on one of
your macros on a meal. It is ok (in most cases) to simply add or subtract that in another meal
during the day.
For example, you went out to lunch and they didn’t have any good options for carbs that were
going to fit your intended macros. It is ok to simply add that back in to perhaps your post-
workout meal or even split across your next two carb-containing meals.

Pro: It allows you a bit more flexibility if you have to go out for meals for work often or
aren’t always able to prep each meal.

Con: You have to already be pretty skilled at knowing what approximate macros certain
foods contain.  This means it’s likely not a beginner tactic unless you’re using some type of
app to try and track each meal.  Doable, but most apps are pretty flawed and you’ll be better
off learning simple things like 1oz of lean protein (chicken breast, white fish, turkey breast,
etc) has about 7-8g of protein and 1-2g of fat, or 1oz of nuts is about 3g of protein and 16g of
fat.

Situation Strategy #2: Meal Splitting

This is when you miss a meal for some reason and assumes you have 1-2 meals left during the
rest of the day.  If it is a rare occurrence, then it is absolutely ok to divide the macros from
that meal up among your remaining meals but there are a few guidelines for this.

1. Spread protein evenly across all remaining meals.

2. Add carbs to carb-based meals and fats to fat-based meals as much as possible. More
on this in the article on Combining Carbs & Fats, but the basis is simple. Just try to
reallocate macros according to the intent of your remaining meals. For example, if you
missed a protein and fat-based meal, don’t throw all the fats into a later meal that is
mostly protein and carb-based.
3. If you only have one meal left, maybe consider only adding half of the macros back in
rather than potentially doubling the size of the meal which may be more stressful from
a digestive perspective and may interfere with sleep quality depending how close to
bed the meal is.

If this is a regular occurrence, perhaps consider restructuring your nutrition plan.

Pros: A relatively easy and simple solution that doesn’t require extensive thought. Just divide
up the missed macros and reallocate accordingly. It also helps ensure that you’re not
chronically under-eating or having to stress about missing a meal. The latter being more
important from a psychological perspective as unnecessary stress will only inhibit your
recovery and progress.

Cons: If this happens repeatedly, it might be an issue from a blood sugar regulation
perspective if not eating for several hours and then having massive amounts of protein and
carbs (depending on what your plan is like). It may also be digestively stressful if you’re in a
caloric surplus and already consuming large quantities of food.

Situation Strategy #3: Cross-Day Macro Shifting

This is similar to #1 but accounts for adding missed macros to the following day. The same
rules apply as in Meal Splitting.
 1. Distribute protein as evenly as possible
2. Distribute carbs to carb-based meals and fats to fat-based meals

Pro: Simple adjustment to stay on track if you miss a meal late in the day. Allows you to stay
closer to your goal macros without potentially undereating which can take a toll on recovery.

Con: Can require minor adjustments to multiple meals. (although if you’re food prepping it’s
as easy as just dividing up one meal into another 3-4, so it’s really not that hard).

Situation Strategy #4: Skip it

Maybe not technically a “strategy” but something worth mentioning.  If it is just a rare
occurrence that something comes up and you miss a meal, it is ok to just move on and not
worry about it. One meal is not going to make-or-break your long-term goals.

Sometimes, just not allowing it to become a mental stress is more beneficial for your health
than worrying about recalculating, shifting, or changing the rest of your day. If you’re the
type of person that gets anxious or gets fixated on little details, chances are that knowing
when to move on is better for you than getting your cortisol all jacked up unnecessarily.

Pro: No thought required and easy to do.

Con: Missing some nutritional support which may or may not impact recovery depending on
the goal, training, etc

So hopefully these guidelines make it easier to still accomplish the intended goal of the
nutrition plan without wanting to bang your head against the cutting board.

Overall one of the best things you can do besides mastering meal prep, is knowing the goal of
your nutrition plan and which strategy will work best for you both logistically and from a
mental stress perspective.

DIGESTION 101

A great quote by my mentor Charles Poliquin is that, “it doesn’t matter what you ingest, it
matters what you can assimilate.”  What this refers to is that eating healthy and taking all the
supplements in the world doesn’t make much of a difference if you are not able to properly
digest them.  In this article we are going to discuss the role of the stomach in digestion.

The stomach basically has two major functions for digesting your food.  It has a mechanical
and an endo-chemical process. The endo-chemical part is the production of gastric juices that
start to break down your food, kill microbes, and stimulate the later parts of digestion.  The
mechanical process is basically a way of swishing around your food in the stomach to break it
up and expose all the food to the gastric juices.

The Process
Let’s start at the beginning.  When you eat, you are using almost all your senses to prepare
your digestive system for the food in which it is about to receive.  The smells, the taste,
receptors on the mouth, tongue, and throat, the mechanical motion of chewing all work to
signal your body that food is coming.  Experiments have even shown that auditory signals like
a dinner bell can begin the digestive process. The final message is actually a stretch reflex of
the stomach which stimulates the medulla oblongata.  The medulla then signals your body to
release the hormone gastrin.

Gastrin is the hormone that tells your stomach to start releasing it’s gastric juices.  The
muscular walls of the stomach contract vigorously to mix food with gastric juice, producing a
mixture called chyme.  The majority of people with digestive issues have a problem with the
gastric juices their stomach is creating. Most people are familiar with heartburn or acid reflux,
which is sometimes caused by overactive production of acid, but can also be caused by the
sphincter between the stomach and the esophagus malfunctioning allowing the stomach’s
normal healthy acids to leak up into the esophagus.

Another cause of the heartburn or GERD sensations is alkaline reflux.  Most people don’t
realize that not having enough acidity in the stomach can cause the same and even worse
problems than having too much.  Also treating acid reflux and heartburn by buffering or
stopping acid production can lead to long term health problems. Taking these kinds of
medications rather than healing the stomach and restoring proper function can result in the
loss of digestive function.

Gastric Fluid Composition

Gastric juices are made of 3 main components.

 A mucus that protects the stomach lining from the acid and digestive enzymes in the
stomach.
 Pepsinogen, which is converted to pepsin, which digests proteins. Pepsinogen
production is stimulated by the presence of gastrin in the blood.
 Hydrochloric acid (HCl) converts pepsinogen to pepsin which breaks down proteins to
peptides. HCl maintains a pH in the stomach of approximately 2.0. It also dissolves
food and kills microorganisms.

Low HCL Production

A growing problem is impaired HCl production.  It’s estimated that about 40-50% of the US
population suffers from low stomach acid levels. Without enough HCl, pepsinogen can not be
converted into pepsin, which means that you can not break down the protein in your food. 
Don’t be fooled into thinking it will be broken down later in the intestinal tract either. The
intestines are more involved in the final stages of digestion and more importantly absorption.
If you don’t break down the large compounds of food like protein and fiber in the stomach,
you will not be getting the valuable nutrients from your diet.  Cruciferous vegetables are
known for their estrogen-detoxification properties through the production of
Diindolylmethane from Indole-3-Carbinol, but this extraction cannot occur without an
adequate amount of HCl.

Not producing enough HCl also makes you more prone to bacterial and fungal overgrowth
and parasites.  These can further hamper your digestion and have numerous other negative
health impacts on your body. Low HCl also puts you at greater risk for food poisoning and
infections.  Low HCl production is also associated with increased risk in gastric cancer and
many diseases related to nutrient deficiencies. For instance, low B12 is associated with
Alzheimer’s but many of these cases are because they don’t produce enough stomach acid to
absorb the B12.

Signs you are not producing enough HCl

 Belching or gas within one hour of a meal

 Bloating and fullness shortly after eating
 Loss of taste for meat
 Nausea after taking supplements
 Brittle fingernails
 Undigested food in stool
 Foul-smelling stools
 Stomach pain
 Bad breath
 Loss of appetite
 Estrogen buildup
 Acne rosacea
 Depression

Stomach acid is also important for signaling later processes in digestion to digest fats and
carbohydrates. If you need to increase the levels of HCL to properly digest your food, tablets
can be consumed with meals. Betaine HCL is a commonly available form which can be found
in most health food stores or online retailers. Start on the low range of dosing at about 250-
500mg. If the symptoms are not reduced or eliminated you may increase the dose with your
next meal by about 250mg. Once you feel a slight warming sensation in your stomach, you
have reached your effective dose.

LOW FAT DIET FAILURE – PART 1

One of the biggest failures in the health industry was the introduction of the low fat diet. 
Several long articles and books have been written dissecting the research and implicating that
the obesity epidemic we now have today was caused by the low fat movement.  It all started
when research began towards the end of World War II investigating the causes behind
increases in heart attacks. The research was very badly done, and not double checked.  Long
story short, it was saturated fat and cholesterol that got the bad wrap. So the USDA and AMA
came out and said therefore we need to start taking fat out of our diet.  

Unfortunately, this research failed to associate the fact that sugar consumption paralleled fat
consumption when there was an increase in cholesterol and heart disease.  In other words the
research that showed increased fat intake increased cardiovascular disease risk, also showed
that increased sugar intake was involved. In fact, it is the fructose in sugar and carbohydrates
that increases triglycerides and bad cholesterol.  Had they done a double blind study where
one group had low sugar and high fat and the other high sugar and low fat, the world would
be a very different place today. Instead, the governing organizations jumped on the low fat
idea and tried to pass it off as science.

The results showed that as fat was removed from the diet, obesity increased proportionately. 
The reason for this is that people didn’t just eat less when they ate lower fat diets. They
actually ate more.  Specifically, they ate more carbohydrates. Fats are an essential part of the
diet.
 

Fats VS Sugars

Healthy Fats:

 Are building blocks for hormones

 Help stabilize and improve mood
 Help regulate blood sugar and hunger
 Provide sustenance, energy, and fullness
 Improve cognition and brain health
 Add taste to food
 Detox the body

So we took out a nutrient that made food taste good and had all these positive effects on our
health and cut it out of our diet.  Consequently what happened to the foods that used to have
fat? Well without the fat, they tasted like crap. So what did food manufacturers do?  They
added more sugar. Unlike fat, sugar has no positive health effects.

Sugar

 Is used for cellular energy and fat storage only

 Actually inhibits the feeling of fullness and makes you eat more
 Ages the brain and decreases cognitive function
 Increases risk of CVD
 Creates a food addiction scenario

The new foods that companies started manufacturing created cravings and food addictions on
a biochemical level.  This led to people eating more and more of the very thing that should
have been removed in the first place. The average calorie consumption and carbohydrate
consumption have drastically increased since the start of the low fat movement and metabolic
disease has increased right with it.

Breaking Down the Fats

Now we are going to explore the different fats you should and shouldn’t have in your diet.

Let’s start with the basics.  Other than being unsightly when we store too much fat, what does
our body really use fat for?  Surprisingly, few people know that each cell of their body is
surrounded in a membrane of fat. Basically, we are all just compilations of fatty balloons we
call cells.  Our brain (kind of an important organ) is almost entirely made of fat! In addition to
being building blocks that hold us all together, our body uses fats for many other things.  The
majority of our hormones are made from fats. Cholesterol is a fat that is considered evil in the
media and by allopathic medicine, when in fact, cholesterol is the base molecule for hormones
like testosterone and estrogen.  The truth about cholesterol is that it’s not really a health risk,
but that other health conditions increase cholesterol. Cholesterol has many healthy
responsibilities. When it is elevated, it’s a symptom, not a cause of disease, but that’s a can of
worms to be opened another day.

The bottom line is fats:

 Give our body structure

 Are responsible for proper brain function
 Allow our body to communicate biochemically through hormones
 Protect our cells from the environment
 Help maintain a healthy digestive tract
 Improve skin and hair health
 Can reduce inflammation
 Can help balance insulin and cortisol when used properly in diet

Saturated fats were demonized in the 1980’s.  Then thought as the cause for the increase in
heart disease, the FDA started cracking down on saturated fats in foods and tried to eliminate
them from our diet.  Obviously reducing saturated fat content in our food has not improved
our health in the last 30 years. The food and drug industries have desperately tried to mask the
epic failure with fancy commercials hosting benefits of low fat cereals and yogurts, when in
reality, the research behind these claims is run by the very companies selling the products. 

Here is one study that shows how saturated fats actually have no effect on cardiovascular risk.
As you can see, the reality is in fact quite the opposite of what we are told through media
marketing. Saturated fats are actually great for making your body more anabolic (building
muscle).  Seeing the pattern here? Fats are an essential part of our health.

CLA

A fast growing supplement for weight loss, CLA is known to help decrease central obesity,
reduce insulin resistance, and work as an anti-cortisol compound. CLA just happens to be a
saturated fat found in grass fed meat, dairy, and eggs.  One of the biggest concerns for people
eating low fat products and grain fed meats is an increased risk for colon cancer. Guess what
nutrient is shown to help prevent colon cancer??? CLA! By removing these fats from our
food, we have actually made them more carcinogenic!  As with most cases, mother nature is
best left alone.

Omegas 3,6,9

Omega-3s are one of the fats that have actually gotten a lot of good press.  In this case, it’s
still not enough. Omega-3 fats are composed of 2 types. EPA and DHA.  EPA is what is
responsible for the anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3’s while DHA supports the brain
and nerve tissues.  The most popular dietary form of omega-3s has become fish oil capsules.
Grass fed meat, mentioned earlier, is also a good source of omega-3’s.  One thing you must be
careful of is the many labels that include ALA alpha linoleic acid as omega-3’s. The truth is
that only about 4% of the ALA actually gets converted to omega-3.  This means sources like
flaxseed oil and powder actually offer very little dietary omega-3’s. Flaxseed oil is also
commonly rancid.

Rancidity is one of the things you must be aware of when incorporating fats in your diet. Even
healthy fats can become rancid over time, or when heated.  Rancid fats become much more
inflammatory, lose their health properties and have a negative impact on our health. Processed
foods and cooking oils are often filled with rancid fats.  Getting your fats from fresh sources
is always advisable, or in a stable form like a high quality fish oil capsule, and quality cooking
oils.

Omega-6’s are the most abundant fat in the SAD (Standard American Diet).  While these fats
are also essential to the diet, the quantity is high and quality is low in our current diet. Omega-
6 fats are pro-inflammatory in nature, which is why the ideal diet should have at least an equal
amount of omega-3’s or even up to 4 times as much omega-3’s as omega-6’s.  A typical
North American diet may contain 11 to 30 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty
acids, contributing to the rising rate of inflammatory disorders in the United States. Most of
the omega-6′s, found in processed and preserved foods are damaged and/or rancid, so what
health benefits omega-6′s do provide are lost and you are left with just pro-inflammatory
calories.

Omega-9’s are not an essential fat because the body can make its own.  This does not mean
that having this mono-saturated fat in your diet is without benefit though.  Omega-9’s have
been shown to decrease cardiovascular risk, increase HDL and decrease LDL cholesterol.  An
example of a good source of omega-9’s would be a small handful of almonds.

Healthy Sources

So let’s head to the nutrition facts.  A healthy fat profile would have a greater amount of
saturated and monounsaturated fats compared to unsaturated fats.

Good healthy sources of saturated fats are

 Organic Butter
 Coconut Oil
 Cashews
 Grass fed meat

Good healthy sources of Omega 3’s are

 Certified free of heavy metal and solvent Fish Oil capsules

 Grass fed meat
 * The reason I don’t suggest fish is because pollution has made eating most fish
undesirable.  That being said, the small fish tend to be more rich in omega 3’s.

Good healthy sources of monounsaturated fats

  Almonds
 Olive oil
 Avocado

The most unhealthy fats you can eat are trans-fats.  These fats are so bad for your health. They
are actually being banned in many states.  The safe amount in your diet is ZERO!
Unfortunately, there is a loophole, in which certain amounts of partially hydrogenated oils can
be allowed.  So you also have to look out for this on the label.

SOMATOTYPE NUTRITION – USEFUL OR USELESS?

Basing nutrition recommendations on physical appearance, or “body type”, is not new.  While
there are some general guidelines that this type of approach can provide for helping people get
started with their nutrition, there are some serious shortcomings and considerations that we
need to take into account if we want the best results possible.

The 3 Somatotypes

Here are the common definitions of the three primary somatotypes (body types) with the
typical guidelines for diet and training from what is promoted on the interwebs.

Ectomorph
Slender frame, little muscle tissue, and classifies themselves as a “hardgainer”.  They seem to
be able to eat a lot of food without gaining much weight.

Typical General Recommendations: High carb diet, compound exercise workouts 3-4x week,
no cardio

Endomorph
Classified as having a “blocky” structure and having a higher percent of body fat. Struggle to
lose weight and get lean but gain both fat and muscle relatively quickly.

Typical General Recommendations: Low carb diet, total body workouts 3-4x week, steady
state cardio multiple times per week

Mesomorph
The guy (or girl) everyone wishes they were. Broader shoulders and narrow waist. They
remain relatively lean and seem to naturally carry a larger proportion of muscle tissue. Can
build muscle or burn fat at a good pace if they are consistent with diet and training.

Typical General Recommendations: Balanced diet, 4-6 workouts per week with more
isolation exercises, minimal cardio
 

Are The Recommendations Valid?

The theory of somatotypes was developed in the 1940s (by a psychologist) and has been
subsequently rejected and disproved as a viable means to predict or determine individual
physiology or responses to training and diet.  Yet, it still is prevalent in the fitness industry
and occasionally pops up in articles or videos with recommendations based on a self-
evaluation or quiz to determine “your body type”.

When we also factor in that as you train and make progress, your physique will change if
things are being done correctly.  So, taking “body type” recommendations and sticking to
them long-term will become more of a hindrance to developing your potential physique.

There are plenty of people who start their journey looking like what we might consider an
“ectomorph” or “endomorph” but after they spend time training and building muscle or losing
fat, look more like a “mesomorph”.  Did their genetics change? Of course not. But their
nutritional and training requirements for continued progress certainly have.

Another consideration is that you cannot necessarily base nutritional recommendations, such
as macronutrient percentages, on physical appearance.  Sure, body fat levels will play a role
and might influence them a bit, but the primary factors that will drive nutritional requirements
are going to be the type of training (stimulus), training volume, training frequency, the
individual’s current goal, and biological factors like digestive health and if there is currently
inflammation present.

This approach really falls short the more we understand the impact of training stimuli on a
biological level. 

Some types of training require relatively greater amounts of carbohydrates and less fat, others
will be better suited to higher fat and lower carbs, while some require higher protein intake
than others. These differences are regardless of what your body “looks like”, but the
magnitude to which they change will depend on how the individual responds or handles
nutrients.

This is a cornerstone component of understanding and designing training programs and

coaching individuals for the best results.  It is also why we provide guidelines in the N1
Training Programs as to the suggested ranges for nutrition to make sure you’re at least headed
in the right direction.

VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN DIETS – HOW CAN THEY MAKE YOU FATTER?

Alright everybody pay close attention to this article, because I’m not going to revisit the topic
very often.  

There are two kinds of people that I do not prefer to take on as clients.   Vegetarians/Vegans
and Cardio Addicts. The main reason is that they often do not want to make the necessary
changes to their lifestyle to get the health benefits or body composition changes they desire. 
Today I am going to take you down the path of why a person might start eating a completely
vegan or vegetarian diet and why it’s not healthy or beneficial for long term fat loss and
health. Pay attention for links to studies and supporting articles.

How does a person come to be a Vegan or Vegetarian?

For some it is a choice based on ethics, in the belief that eating animals is cruel.  These are the
hardest people to work with when it comes to changing their diet. If you follow this logic, I
guess being a vegetarian is more of an act of revenge, because plants are carnivores
themselves.  “Plants don’t eat dirt and poop any more than we do” – Paul Chek. Everywhere
in nature, life eats life. It is the circle of life. For those that need a reference to this, I would
suggest The Lion King.  For those who want more science Paul Chek did an excellent piece
with research from the Weston A. Price foundation on vegetarianism and its history.  It
showed that meat eating tribes always had better health than their neighboring vegetarian
tribes.  Very few vegetarian tribes actually existed.

Others choose a meat-free diet because they believe it will improve their health.  This is a half
truth. When it comes to meat, or any animal products in general, they are not created equal. 
Much research has surfaced on the negatives of eating red meat, whether it be related to
cancer, inflammation or heart disease.

These studies were not all incorrect, but more so misleading. Let’s use beef as our meat.
Commercial beef is grain fed with wheat and corn in large processing plants that raise the
animals in high-bacterial inhumane conditions.  This meat is then processed in a factory
impossible to keep sanitary, and is thus treated with chemicals to clean it before being shipped
to your store. If you feed animals with grains like wheat and corn you get the same result as
you get if you feed people wheat and corn.  Fat and sick. I believe over 80% of the antibiotics
used in the world are for agricultural uses, just to keep the animal alive in these poor
conditions until they can be slaughtered. The resulting meat is not healthy for you, which
should be no surprise to anyone.

Grass fed pasture raised animals however are completely different.  Animals raised in
different conditions on different foods provide a completely different nutritional food source. 
The fats in commercial meat are inflammatory and cause negative hormonal responses, while
the fats in grass fed meat are anti-inflammatory and promote the hormones for lean muscle
mass and higher metabolic functions.  There are many more benefits of grass fed vs grain fed
animals, but that is an article in it’s own.

Conclusion:  Is meat bad for you?  No, bad quality meat is bad for you.  Organic,
grass fed, pasture raised meat is very good for you.  All the research done on red
meat being bad for you is done using commercial grain fed animals. 

What If I decide not to eat any animal products anyway?

There are many negatives to removing quality meat from your diet.  The average person needs
60g of protein a day just to run their basic functions like energy production, immune function
and detoxification. To clarify, by “average person” we’re talking about a sedentary individual
that does not have a higher-than-normal amount of muscle mass, which is likely not most you
reading this article.
  Did you know the main source of fuel during an exercise like weight training besides
glycogen is actually Branch Chain Amino Acids or BCAAs not carbohydrates or fat?
 Did you know that your immune system runs primarily on amino acids?
 Did you know that your liver detoxifies your body almost entirely by using amino
acids from protein?

Not getting enough protein in your diet is very detrimental to your long term health.

Why can’t I just get protein from plant based foods?

Some plant foods do contain protein, but not all proteins are created equal.  The benefit of
animal proteins is that they tend to be very high in certain amino acids that are essential for
health and performance.  The more physical activity you do each day the more important
these amino acids become. Even if you don’t exercise, these proteins help with brain function,
detoxification, and immune function as well.

Ok so I need protein, what else am I missing out by not eating meat?

Most research shows vegetarian diets lead to low levels of B12, iron, omega 3’s, zinc and
magnesium.  These nutrients are vital for many bodily functions. Other studies have found a
vegan diet has a negative effect on bone density because of the lack of highly bioavailable
calcium found in meat.  For people with osteopenia or osteoporosis they may find that eating
a diet high in protein from pasture raised meats is more effective than supplementing with
calcium supplements.

If a vegetarian diet is so bad for me why do people feel better and lose weight on
them?

This is a question with multiple reasons.  The first and most common answer is that more and
more people are losing their digestive health.  Low stomach acid production is a vastly
growing problem that results in nutritional deficiencies, and digestive disorders.  When
stomach acid levels are low, protein digestion is poor. This is what leads to the heavy bloating
feeling after eating meat and can be stressful and uncomfortable.  It also means that you will
not be getting the energizing and nutritional benefits from eating meat.

The second role of stomach acid is to help stimulate bile production which helps break down
food further especially fats.  Animal products should contain healthy fats, but when not
digested, they also just cause digestive issues. An example of an symptom of low HCl is the
dreaded fish oil burp.

The second reason people see results on a vegetarian diet is reduced inflammation.  This can
occur because they are now eating more vegetables than before, eating less poor quality
meats, or because they have eliminated foods they were intolerant to.  Food intolerances occur
when your body starts to develop an inflammatory immune response to the proteins in the
food you’re eating. It can be any food, and doesn’t always have to be proteins.  Many people
have intolerances to fructose which is a sugar found in fruits and veggies, but in higher
amounts in sugary foods and beverages. Food intolerances usually occur after the digestive
system becomes compromised.  It has nothing to do with whether or not the food is good or
bad for you. If someone has an intolerance to chicken because they have been following a low
fat diet too long and switches to a vegan diet with no meat, they will see the benefits of
removing the chicken, even though they didn’t need to remove the rest of the meats.

The third reason is the consumption of more cruciferous vegetables and fruits with
antioxidants and fiber.  Antioxidants and fiber are two of the most important nutrients for
vitality and weight loss. Eating more green vegetables and high antioxidant fruits like
blueberries is hard to argue with.  These same benefits would be seen though even if meat was
not removed from the diet. Fiber is critical for digestive health, detoxification, and help
control the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates.  This is why most research on diabetes
finds that that switching to a vegan diet provides similar blood markers to a typical diabetes
diet over short periods of time.

How do some people or athletes look so good on a vegan/ vegetarian diet?

We you have the compounding reasons above, but the reality is that there are people on the
planet that have great genetics.  Everyone has met that person that can eat whatever they want
and still sport a six pack while consuming pizza, soda and beer. Professional athletes are
notorious for having horrible diets and still staying extremely lean.  These are the exceptions,
not the rule.

If you were to take an average of everyone embarking on a vegan/vegetarian diet, you would
find that this is not a common trait. I have seen ripped vegetarians and obese vegetarians and
everything in between.  Another possibility is that the person simply has not been eating a
vegan diet long enough to see any negative effects.

How do vegetarian animals stay healthy?

Animals have different digestive systems than we do.  A cow is a vegetarian, but it also has 2
stomachs and can digest parts of plants that we can not. 

Humans cannot digest grass, it will make us sick. Cows can build massive 2,000 lb bodies
from it.
A gorilla for instance is not a complete vegetarian, but it eats about 40 pounds worth of plant
life per day.  It can digest the main sugar source in plants (cellulose). This is how they can be
so large and powerful while not consuming much meat. Humans cannot digest cellulose,
otherwise vegetables would be like stacks of sugar for us.

How does eating a vegan diet make you skinny-fat?

Eating a vegan diet can make you skinny-fat or even just fat.  Below is a flowchart of the
nutritional consequences of a vegan diet and how these lead to health conditions and
ultimately fat gain and muscle loss.  To make it simple the points directly correlated to fat
gain have been highlighted in yellow. To sum it up, the nutrient deficits from a vegan diet can
lead to a decreased ability to detoxify and deal with inflammation.  Lowered ability to deal
with stress and regulate hormones is also a result. The end result is more cortisol, more
inflammation, a poor testosterone to estrogen ratio, poor thyroid function, and low metabolic
rate.
These factors all increase fat storage and muscle loss.  The reason most of this is overlooked
is that these are not short term symptoms, but conditions that accumulate over time. I have
also included to two main health issues which put people onto the path of a vegetarian diet.
Consequently people on the SAD (standard american diet) of high sugar, gluten, and grain fed
meats also suffer from these same conditions through some of the same and alternate
pathways.

”I have seen hundreds of lab tests of vegans and honestly have only seen one that was
normal. And that was a vegetarian body builder who spent much of his day designing his diet
to include all types of vegan protein sources. Very hard work.”  – Mark Schauss, Lab
Interpretations LLC

 How do I know if I have low stomach acid or food intolerances?  The best way is to contact a
Functional Medicine Doctor near you to discuss and HCl test for stomach acid production and
an MRT test for food intolerances.  You can perform the HCl test easily for yourself at home
by purchasing a kit. If you would like to have a food panel test for intolerances, the best one is
done through Cyrex Labs.

So you don’t think there is any benefit to a Vegan/ Vegetarian Diet?

As a whole diet program, no.  We are much healthier when consuming quality meats than
without them.  I do however support going up to 5 days per month eating a vegan style diet
for those dealing with inflammation and digestive issues.  Proper supplemental and
adjustments to your exercise program should be made during this time, but it can provide
improved results to do this periodically.  I would not exceed 5 days, and this is for a person
that is eating adequate amounts of protein the other days of the month.

GETTING AWAY OF GETTING SICK

Getting sick for some people is an annual thing, and for others it is much more frequent, yet
some people almost never fall ill.  Most people contribute illness to the weather, or “there’s a
bug going around”. The more likely situation is that there is a lack of sleep and nutrition and a
lot of stress going around.

We are exposed to bacteria and viruses everyday.  While we may think that life is much
cleaner than it was 1000 years ago, our indoor lifestyle has become a petri dish for bugs of all
types to grow and replicate.  Public areas no matter how well maintained, provide lots of
exposure. So why do people seem to get sick at the same time?

When your body is healthy, your immune system is constantly fighting off everything you
come in contact with.  Getting exposed to something like a flu virus at these times often
results in nothing more than maybe a little less energy for a day or two.  In a work place
usually a time of stress is on the entire staff, not just an individual. With heightened stress and
extended hours comes less sleep and a weakened immune system.  One person with a weak
immune system becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. With everyone else’s
defenses down as well, spreading the sickness becomes very easy for the bugs.

There are two ways you can approach these situations.  You can be reactive and depend on
drugs to pick up when your immune system fails to keep you well, or you can be proactive
and fight the stress and fatigue with good food and good sleep to keep your immune system
up to par.

If you don’t like feeling miserable, I’m guessing proactive sounds better.  So how do you
accomplish this?

You have to start with the basics, eating a clean diet high in quality protein, whole food fruits
and vegetables,  that is also low in sugar, inflammatory fats, processed wheat, corn, and soy
products. You can improve on this by supplementing with a quality multi-vitamin, zinc,
probiotics and vitamin D3.

 A good multi will provide you with the cofactors to support energy production.  The
immune system needs a lot of protein and energy to run well. This is why it suffers
when your diet and sleep do.
 Zinc and selenium are the main minerals of the immune system.  Almost everyone
needs more zinc in their diet so supplementing with a zinc chelate is a good idea for
optimal immune function among many other benefits.
 Probiotics help set up your first line of defense and keep your immune systems guard
up.  These beneficial bacteria and yeast actually compete with and kill harmful bugs.
These become even more important if you take anti-biotics or NSAID and other pain
killers that disrupt your natural biota.
 Vitamin D3 helps modulate immune function throughout the body, and in layman’s
terms helps it target the bad bugs and leave the good stuff.

Now that you have the basics, the next step is to see trouble coming.  When times of extra
stress approach, you need to be proactive about increasing your nutrition and maintaining
sleep quality.  Often times stress and the causes of said stress lead to missed meals, late
nights, and consumption of lower quality convenience foods.  Stock up on super foods like
berries and teas to keep you going in a pinch. Adding in some high quality whey
protein shakes during the day to keep up protein intake.  Whey protein is especially good at
increasing immune function.

You have to make time for sleep, and take measures to keep sleep quality.  A busy and
stressed out mind does not always come down easy. Eating foods high in omega 9′s like
avocado may do the trick.  Supplementing with theanine, calming herbs, or teas can also help.
It’s usually beneficial to add magnesium and inositol at night if you have trouble with sleep
quality as these compounds also help combat stress as well.  Here are some more things that
can improve sleep very easy.

 Don’t watch TV before bed, read instead with dim lighting to calm the mind.
 Don’t eat small daytime meals and large dinners, this will result in disrupted sleep.
 Stop caffeine consumption no later than 4PM
 Avoid strenuous exercise within 4 hours of going to bed
 Stretch in the evening to lower cortisol
 Quality carbohydrates with your meals later in the day can help lower cortisol
  Listen to calming music or nature sounds with dinner
 Stay on a consistent sleep and wake schedule

We can’t always avoid stressful situations or events in our life, but we can be proactive in
how we deal with stress when it does come into our lives.  The more drugs we take, the harder
it is for our body to recover, and the greater burden each illness takes on us. These should be
the last line of defense against illness.  Fighting stress with rest and nutrition is the way to
come out ahead in the end and avoid those sick days.

CARBOLOGY PART 1 – INTRODUCTION TO CARBOHYDRATES

Intro to Carbohydrates

Welcome to your introductory course on carbohydrates.

Why you should care: Obesity is associated with diminished ability to handle carbohydrates,
which develops into type II diabetes.  If you have any goals in terms of body composition, fat
loss, or weight loss, you best learn how to use carbohydrates properly.

Note: This is NOT saying that carbohydrates cause diabetes. Let’s get that clear first. There
are many factors that lead to type II diabetes and the overconsumption of carbohydrates is a
contributor, not the sole cause.

What are carbs?

Carbohydrates, often termed as sugars or starches are all comprised of the same 3 molecules. 
Glucose, galactose, and fructose are the base molecules (monosaccharides) that make up all
carbohydrates.  Each molecule itself is already a carbohydrate, but combinations of the above
are what make up the other carbohydrates in our diet.  

Lactose, the sugar in milk is a disaccharide (glucose and galactose attached to each other)
where as sugar:( sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, and cane juice) are disaccharides of one
glucose + fructose.  They can also consist of just many of the same molecule. Maltose is just 2
glucose molecule bound together. Carbohydrates that are made of more than 2 molecules are
called polysaccharides, which we usually refer to as starch.  These polysaccharides or starches
are considered complex carbohydrates.

No matter what the carbohydrate is, it is broken down into its monosaccharide parts through
digestion.  Your body makes enzymes that break down large carbohydrates, and then your
liver processes the non-glucose carbohydrates.  You liver converts galactose into glucose, and
it can use fructose to increase liver glycogen. Glucose does not need to be converted in the
liver and is thus the most useful and healthy form of carbohydrate for your body.  Glucose is
basically the carbohydrate fuel of life. Glucose can feed every cell in your body, and has no
negative effects when consumed in the proper portions.

Where Do We Get Carbohydrates From?

The easy answer is from our diet.  Carbohydrate rich foods like grains, fruits, and starches
provide a large amount of carbohydrates.  Vegetables and nuts also contain carbohydrates, but
a smaller amount that usually has an insignificant effect on blood sugar.

The other way we get carbohydrates is a process called gluconeogenesis in which the liver
creates carbohydrates from non-carbohydrate sources like protein.  This is an important
process in regulating blood sugar because several metabolic process needed for life require
carbohydrates. The brain is a great example of an organ that is very sensitive to carbohydrate
levels.  If blood sugar gets too low or high, usually seen in diabetics, they can become
disoriented or even lose consciousness.

It’s important to note that your dietary intake is not what manages your blood sugar levels
though.  Your body produces hormones in response to what you eat and your current blood
sugar level to regulate this.  For many, their ability or inability to do this will have a
significant impact on their health and body composition.

If you are healthy and eating enough protein, you don’t need to eat carbohydrates to have
carbohydrates available because your body will make them as needed through
gluconeogenesis.  In fact many primitive cultures thrived on very low carbohydrate diets. If
you are not healthy, this process might not work as well for you, and you may have poor
function on lower carbohydrate diets.

Carbohydrate Uptake In To Cells

Insulin is known by many as the hormone associated with diabetes.  There are two types of
diabetes. Type I is where the pancreas loses the ability to make insulin, whereas type II
diabetes the pancreas may still create some insulin or the person may be so insulin resistant
that the pancreas can not make enough to control their blood sugar.  Elevated blood sugar
(hyperglycemia) occurs when the body is not able to increase glucose uptake into the cells in
relation to what has been ingested and released into the bloodstream.

The problem with diets that are high in sugary carbohydrates is that the body is always having
to dispose of that sugar.  This puts a tremendous strain on the pancreas which can be one
cause of diabetes. On top of that, cells that are constantly being exposed to insulin, and often
become insulin resistant over time.  This means it will now take more insulin to get the cell to
uptake glucose from the blood making even more work for the already stressed pancreas.

Aside from increasing body fat, having constant high levels of blood sugar increases
inflammation and also leads to the creation of AGEs (Advanced Glycation End-products). 
These AGEs form when proteins in your blood get bound to the sugars, creating an almost
syrup type material in your arteries. This is not good for your health in many ways and is
extremely aging to the body.  The more AGEs you make, the more likely you won’t live to
see a very old age. So you might want to start thinking twice about eating high sugar foods,
regardless of your weight, or insulin sensitivity.

How Does Insulin Work?

When your blood sugar starts to rise, your pancreas responds by secreting insulin into the
blood.  Insulin then signals certain cells through an insulin receptor to start moving special
proteins into the cell membrane.  These proteins are referred to as glucose transporters or
GLUT proteins. Some cells in your body do not regulate their glucose uptake and just allow it
in freely.  These cells are like liver, kidney, brain, and red blood cells. No coincidence that
diabetes patients have issues with all those organs. The rest of the cells require the GLUT
transporters to get glucose into the cell.  In a healthy person, insulin will stimulate GLUT in
muscle and fat, but about 70-80% of the glucose will be take up by the muscle tissue because
it has more insulin receptors. In a person who has abused carbohydrates, their body will start
to create more insulin receptors on the fat cells, making more of the carbohydrate you eat, get
stored as fat.  For an in depth look, here is a medical break down from Cornell University.

The increase in insulin sensitivity of fat and decrease of it in muscle tissue is why being fat
and insulin resistant is a double edged sword.  The more fat you have and the more insulin
receptors the fat cells have, the harder it gets to lose fat and the easier it gets to store fat. Often
times when people lose control of their weight and suddenly gain massive amounts of fat in a
short period of time, they have reached a tipping point where they are now storing
significantly more glucose as fat without making any major changes in their diet.

Exercise can also stimulate GLUT-4 production in muscle cells that are being worked via a
different mechanism independent of insulin.  This is why post workout carbohydrates are ok
for some people. If however you are a person who has abused carbohydrates and has many
insulin receptors on your fat cells, post workout carbs can still be taken up into fat tissue. 
Charles Poliquin liked to preach that you have to deserve your carbs. This is exactly what he
meant. These people need to avoid carbs all together until they start to rebalance their insulin
sensitivity.

For an overweight person who is insulin resistant, exercise is their best friend.  The more
physical activity, especially resistance training, the more they can influence glucose being
stored as lean muscle mass rather than fat.  For diabetics this also takes a significant load off
the pancreas, and combined with a low carb diet can start to rehabilitate their pancreas.
Increasing muscle mass through resistance training gives your body a better chance at
rebalancing insulin sensitivity.  Proper weight training can also increase the amount of insulin
receptors and the GLUT response in the existing muscle cells pushing the balance even
further in your favor.

If you don’t work on correcting insulin sensitivity with exercise and supplementation, diet
alone will not always work well enough.  Not being able to have any carbohydrates in your
diet is not very healthy (discussed in future articles). Switching to just a low carb diet will
help, but your body also makes carbohydrates from non carbohydrates sources.  Every
morning your body releases cortisol to signal your body to start making energy. Part of this
process is to start making carbohydrates from protein and releasing stored carbohydrates from
your liver and muscle tissue. This is how even without eating carbs you can be feeding fat
cells with glucose right out of your own body.  So you can see it’s just as important to restore
your body’s ability to handle carbohydrates and insulin properly as it is to monitor them in
your diet.

In Part 2 we will take a more in-depth look at insulin in relation to our health and the insulin-
cortisol seesaw.
MATCHING NUTRITION TO TRAINING – GETTING THE CARBS RIGHT

While carbohydrates may not be technically an “essential macronutrient”, because our body
does have ways of creating its own glucose from amino acids (gluconeogenesis), they ARE
essential if your goal is to optimize performance, body composition, and recovery from
resistance training.

The trick is matching the right amount of carbohydrates to the stimulus of the training.  That
is where some people don’t just miss the boat, they’re in another lake, especially when it
comes to metabolic training.

Metabolic Training

Some types of training burn through glucose stored in the muscle tissue (glycogen) much
faster than others on a set by set basis. That glycogen can only sustain you for so long under
certain intensities.  The longer the sets (time under tension) and the greater the intensity of the
contractions the faster you’ll burn through it.

If that glycogen is not being replenished sufficiently between training sessions not only will
performance drop off, but you will start creating an excess oxidative stress if you continue to
attempt a metabolic training stimulus.  Now, that is not to say oxidative stress is evil or to be
avoided at all costs. There is a time and place where we may choose to create it, but we want
to create it at the highest level of performance possible, which means you still need glycogen
and carbohydrates.

The issue that arises with metabolic work on insufficient carbohydrates that results in excess
oxidative stress is when it goes on for too long.  Oxidative stress is inflammatory. When your
muscle tissue becomes too inflamed it inhibits the uptake of glucose, which makes it much
harder to replenish glycogen.  It also can lead to a host of other issues like poor sleep,
digestive issues, looking bloated or puffy, retaining fluid, etc.

Moral of the story, don’t do metabolic training without sufficient carbohydrates.  Keep in
mind, if your goal is body composition, you will still need to be in an energy deficit.

The precise amount of carbohydrates will depend on the type of metabolic stimulus and the
individual, which is why we created the nutrition calculators for the N1 Training
Programs specifically for each program along with guidelines for individualization.

Hypertrophy Training

Not only is sufficient carbohydrate intake important for keeping glycogen full for training
performance, but it plays a role in muscle growth.  Having full or mostly-full glycogen stores
is important in part of the signalling processes for protein synthesis. Initiating and sustaining
protein synthesis is a much more complex cascade than simply activating mTOR
with leucine.  Turning on mTOR is just one of many “switches” that must be flipped for
protein synthesis to take place in the muscle after training.

While the demand for carbs may not be as high in all hypertrophy stimuli as some of the
metabolic ones, there is still a need for them both for performance and recovery.
Neurological Training

Perhaps the lowest demand for glucose of all the training phases, neurological training is one
that you could get away with minimal carbohydrates for a while. The demand for glucose, or
rather the consumption of it by the muscle tissue, is the lowest in total with neurological
stimuli.

That being said, you can certainly still have carbohydrates in your diet but you just won’t
need as much. You do still need some glycogen to train optimally for certain neurological
goals, such as maximum strength or starting strength.  You’ll just need less to maintain your
glycogen stores.

Closing Thoughts

There are times and situations where a zero carb or extreme carb-cycle approach may be
beneficial for certain individuals.  However, attempting to follow a zero-carb or simply
insufficient carbohydrates can not only be a hindrance to your rate of progress but a detriment
to your recovery and performance, resulting in you ending up further from your goal.  This is
why it is not just about “high carb”, “low carb”, or “no carb”, but more accurately the right
amount of carbohydrates for the person, their goal, and the training stimulus.

Keep in mind, that whether your goal is losing body fat or building muscle, the total amount
of calories is still extremely important. The amount of carbohydrates (“high” or “low”) is
relative to the total calories and the stimulus, as is the amount of calories needed for a given
goal.  This is why we built nutrition calculators for each N1 Training Program to make sure
the recommendations were specific to the stimulus as well as the goal and individual.

If you’d like to learn more about matching nutrition per training stimulus and individualizing
programs, then you’ll want to take a look at the Nutrition & Program Design course with over
20 hours of videos.  It walks you through everything from the cellular mechanisms to
outlining programs and splits for different stimuli and their accompanying nutrition and
supplementation.

GLUCOSE AND FRUCTOSE

The two most common sugar monomers are glucose and fructose. Glucose is the most
abundant in starches and physiologically active in the body.  Fructose, as its name suggests is
found in fruit as well as other sources. It is sweeter than glucose which is why it is very
commonly added to processed foods.

They act very differently in the body in regards to their metabolism and what tissues they go
to.  To understand the differences between glucose and fructose, we must first look at how the
body can store glycogen in the body.

Glycogen Storage Capacity

The liver stores about 10% of the body’s glycogen while the remaining 90% is stored in
muscle tissue. How much glycogen the liver can store is based on the frame of your body and
doesn’t change as you gain muscle or fat tissue.  It holds somewhere around 100g for most
people.

On the other hand, as you gain muscle tissue you will increase the amount of glycogen you
can store. You can also perform certain types of training that will increase the glycogen
storage capacity of muscle tissue.

Glycogen Synthesis

The liver can turn either fructose or glucose into glycogen while muscle tissue can ONLY
store glucose as glycogen.

Why is this important?  Well, no matter how much fructose you consume it won’t be
contributing to replenishing muscle glycogen.  It will only be able to be stored as glycogen in
the liver. That is the determining factor as to whether fructose is “good” or “bad” to consume. 
It depends on how full your liver glycogen stores are.

The liver has a very limited storage capacity and once it is full, the remaining fructose has to
be used some other way. This is when the fructose will go down a different pathway and can
contribute to inflammation, insulin resistance, and be stored as body fat.

When we look at performance and recovery, muscle glycogen is the most important to
replenish.  Glycogen is used locally, so restoring glycogen after each training session will be
essential to facilitate recovery and output for the next time you train those particular body
parts.

When To Use Fructose Based On Your Goal

Fructose can be helpful when coming out of a fasted or carb depleted state when both the
muscles and liver are low in glycogen.

If your goal is to build muscle, you want to replenish glycogen as fast as possible. One of the
key signalling factors for your body to be anabolic and protein-sparing is to fill up both liver
and muscle glycogen as much as possible. In which case you could use a bit of fructose to
help fill up the liver more quickly and then switch to mostly glucose-based carbohydrates
(starchy foods).

When the goal is body composition and fat loss, shifting your carbohydrate consumption to
mostly glucose-based sources all the time may be more beneficial.  This is because when the
muscles are depleted they will preferentially take up the glucose and the liver will fill up more
slowly. When the liver is lower in glycogen it signals hormones that aid in freeing up stored
fatty acids to be used for fuel.  This is highly favorable for body composition because it
means that our muscles will be storing glycogen to be used for better performance during the
next training session while the body is simultaneously burning a higher percentage of fat for
energy.

There are also specific ways to program training that elicit this same biological response.
Learn more in the Nutrition & Program Design for Trainability course.
Summary

Fructose is not inherently evil.  The issues arise when the liver’s limited glycogen stores are
full and fructose is being over-consumed.  Consider what state your liver is in when selecting
your carb sources.

FAT TYPES AND SOURCES

This will be a quick-reference guide to the different types of fats, some of their characteristics,
and a few recommendations when considering your sources and amounts of fat intake.

There are two main categories of fatty acids, saturated and unsaturated. Each category
contains sub-categories based on the characteristics of the fatty acid. All of these types of
fatty acids play important roles in the health and function of your body, except for one which
will be covered below.

Saturated Fats

Saturated fats are not evil. They are essential for healthy hormone levels. Specifically
cholesterol which is integral in the body’s natural production of steroid hormones such as
testosterone.

These should generally not make up the majority of your fat intake, but it is important not to
exclude them either. A reasonable baseline would be anywhere between .06-.14 grams per
pound of lean body mass, or 15-35% of your daily fat intake.  This of course can vary based
on the training and how much of your calories are coming from fats.

One way to identify this type of fat, is that it is solid or semi-solid at room temperature.  Due
to their structure, they are more stable when heated than unsaturated fats and can be used for
cooking at moderate temperatures.

Some examples of healthy sources of saturated fats include; grass-fed butter, coconut oil,
ghee, and eggs.

Unsaturated Fats

Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats should generally make up a higher percentage
of your total fat intake.  Unsaturated fats are helpful in keeping your cell membranes healthy
and able to transport nutrients efficiently.

Unsaturated fats are mostly found in plant-based sources, but there are some that are found in
animal sources too.

Due to their structure, they can easily become unstable at elevated temperatures. So it is not
recommended to cook with them (olive oil for example) as this can make them go rancid and
become highly inflammatory while losing many of their benefits in most cases.
One of the most important groups of fatty acids in this category are referred to as essential
fatty acids (EFAs).  This includes omega 3s, 6s, and 9s. These EFAs play a role in
maintaining your cells’ regulation of inflammatory signals, which influences both recovery
and the cells’ ability to partition nutrients.  This means you’ll more easily take up glucose to
muscle tissue for repair instead of storing it in fat tissue. This is one of the reasons that having
adequate amounts of EFAs are imperative to optimize body composition.

Omega 3s

Omega 3s have almost become synonymous with fish oil due to the higher percentage it
contains relative to other sources.  They are one of the lowest occurring fats in the typical
western diet which is why supplementation is a recommendation for everyone from a basic
health perspective. There are two main omega 3 fatty acids that we need to consider.

 EPA is more highly correlated with improved glucose sensitivity and cellular health of
muscle tissue. It is also one of the fatty acids that assists in improving inflammatory
regulation.  Specifically in promoting the cells’ ability to turn inflammatory signaling
“off” when necessary.

 DHA is utilized more by the brain for function and development. Both are important,
but if your goal for taking omega 3s and fish oil is improving body composition, a
higher proportion of EPA will likely be more beneficial.

Omega 6s

Omega 6s are abundant in the modern western diet and are found in nuts, seeds, and vegetable
oils.  Some sources report as high as 15x the amount of omega 3s or more.

They play an important part of your cells’ ability to turn inflammatory signalling “on” when
needed. While they are necessary for healthy cellular function, an excessive amount of them
in the diet relative to omega 3s can be a potential issue. It is about balancing the ratio between
the two.  Closer to a 1:1 ratio seems to be most desirable for health benefits (1).

Read more about omega 3s and omega 6s in this article.

Omega 9s

Omega 9s are not technically “essential” as far as dietary consumption is concerned because
the body is capable of synthesizing them.  This means that getting too few omega 9 fats in the
diet is not really a concern. They also naturally occur in foods containing other unsaturated
fats too (avocados, olives, nuts) so if you’re eating other sources of fats, you’ll likely be
getting sufficient omega 9s as well.

Trans Fats

This is the only type of fat you should try to limit as much as possible.  It is typically created
during a manufacturing process called “hydrogenation”. If “hydrogenated” or “partially-
hydrogenated” appears on a label, you’re better off steering clear of it.
While they do occur naturally in nature, it is in VERY small amounts. Higher consumption of
trans fats has been linked to a host of health issues and has the effect of elevating LDL (“bad”
cholesterol) and decreasing HDL (“good” cholesterol).

Consuming trans fats also inhibits the metabolization of EFAs, which in turn can have a
negative impact on inflammatory signaling, cell membrane health, and nutrient transport (2).

HOW MUCH PROTEIN for mass gain? – NUTRITION BASICS

Protein is the most versatile macronutrient we consume.  It can be used to build tissue, be
broken down to make energy, used as an enzyme in metabolism, or used as a cofactor in
detoxification.  Because our body can use protein for so many things, how much we need is
relative to what our body is doing, and what we are doing to our bodies from a training and
nutritional standpoint.

The amount of protein needed is inversely proportionate to the amount of carbs you eat.
Because protein, when used for energy, is mainly broken down and used to make glucose in
the liver.  The more carbs you eat, the less protein you will break down for fuel. Someone
eating a lot of carbs may be able to decrease their protein intake by 10-30%.  Conversely, if
are having little to no carbs you could increase your protein intake by as much.

The more detox support you take like B vitamins and supplements, the more protein you need
to take in.  The average person needs 60g of protein just to run their detox processes and
support their immune system.  If you are taking supplements like B vitamins that can increase
detoxification, you may need to increase protein intake as well.  If you are detoxing, you
should increase your protein intake 5-10%

Your training is perhaps the biggest variable in how much protein you need.  The amount of
protein you need is proportionate the the volume of training. Specifically the volume of
eccentric loading.  This means a set of 10 with a 5 second eccentric is more protein
demanding than a set of 10 with 3 second eccentrics. The reason is most tissue damage occurs
during the eccentric range of motion.  If you are not having many carbs, then the overall
volume (total number of reps) of training is also important as well, because you will be
burning more protein as a fuel source. Lastly, the muscle volume you are training also makes
a difference.  You may want to have 20g more in your PWO after a leg day than an arm day
workout, and maybe 10g more on a chest and back day.

One of the best ways to assess if you are meeting the protein goals of your training is appetite
4 hours after training.  If you are famished 2-3 hours after your PWO meal, you probably need
a little more. If you feel bloated and the thought of eating again comes with utter disgust, you
may be having a little too much.  

Here are some baseline number to start with:

If your goal is max-mass (meaning you can have carbs as well), 1g/lb of lean body weight
should be plenty.

If your goal is to make lean gains (and your carbs are fairly low), you may need to increase to
1.5g/lb of lean bodyweight.
If your goal is to get ripped to shreds, (you are also probably carb conscious and also calorie
conscious), then 1.5 up to 2g/lb is more suitable.

NUTRITION BASICS – BREAKFAST

As the old adage goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Starting the day off
right is important for many reasons:


o A proper high protein breakfast helps set the neurotransmitters for the day,
improving energy levels, focus, and concentration.  Energizing
neurotransmitters like dopamine and acetylcholine are essential for proper
cortisol utilization allowing your body to signal fat mobilization for energy.


o A proper breakfast provides nutrition for energy, but does not increase insulin
enough to blunt fat burning.  When you wake up, your body is in a state of
primarily using fat for fuel. Using the proper carb portion is essential for
maintaining this fat burning state.


o Most men produce their largest amount of testosterone around 8-9 a.m.
Optimal testosterone production is dependent on getting enough quality fats,
and utilization is dependent on getting in essential amino acids.

Protein!

The most important part of an ideal breakfast is protein.  Preferably a red meat source. Red
meats have higher amounts of carnitine.  Carnitine is the amino acid that helps transport fatty
acids to the mitochondria of your cells to be burned.  Carnitine is also a testosterone
sensitizing amino acid. So it helps you burn fat and get more out of your morning
testosterone.  

If you choose quality grass-fed red meats, they are also naturally higher in CLA and Omega-
3s, which both help with insulin sensitivity and body composition.

For most, a ≥ 30g dose of protein is ideal.  An example macro breakdown would be 30g
protein and 30g fat, and little to no carbs.  If you train first thing in the morning you may
substitute 30g of whey protein, or better yet, 25g of whey and 5g of BCAAs.

Breakfast Can Either Be Carb Dominant or Fat Dominant.

Most people will be better off with a higher protein, high fat breakfast.  

The best fats to add in the morning are coconut oil, butter, and fish oil.

 Coconut oil is rich in MCTs (Medium Chain Triglycerides) which are an energizing
fat.  The liver converts these fats directly to energy making them a great alternative to
carbs for pre-workout energy or for starting your day.
  Butter is rich in healthy saturated fats, CLA, and butyrate.  Butyrate is a short chain
fatty acid that helps increase the insulin sensitivity of lean tissue while increasing
fatty-acid release from fat cells.
 Omega-3s help to increase fat burning enzymes, improve insulin sensitivity, and
decrease inflammation.  Fish-oil capsules are a great choice.

If you are the rare carb-type person, here’s how to get the most out of your breakfast carbs:

Protein is essential.  A low protein breakfast with carbs will only blunt fat loss and decrease
energy. Carbs at breakfast are best if they are low glycemic, and high nutrient density.

 Start with organic berries.  Berries are rich in antioxidants, minerals, and very low GI.
High nutrient berries like blueberries can actually be insulin sensitizing because they
are so nutrient dense, despite their carbohydrate content.
 Use other low GI fruits like apples, or complex starches like oats.
 A small amount of healthy fats is still okay for most.  Coconut oil would be my
choice.

A typical meal may look like 30g protein, 30g carbs, 15g fat.  

Some people need a small amount of carbs to optimally burn fat, but if you go overboard, it
reverses the effect.  People that need carbs for breakfast are generally very lean naturally,
especially in the upper back.

The easiest way to know what breakfast is best for you, is to try each, and train 2 hours
afterwards.  One should leave you feeling better and more energetic than the other. If your
bodyfat is high, just stick with the high fat, high protein breakfast for now.  As you get leaner
try adding in some nuts for other healthy fats and small amounts of carbs.

Alkalize

Another important thing to do in the morning is alkalize the body.  Electrolytes, fresh lemon,
or lime squeezed into water is a great start. Lemon and lime also help with fat digestion,
making the high protein, high fat breakfast even more effective.  This is also a great way to
get rid of any fish oil burps.

Vegetables

Vegetables in the morning are another great way to help alkalize the body, as well as getting
in some fiber.  If you train first thing in the morning, try adding a scoop of powdered greens
instead.

Hydrate

The day should start with at least 16 oz of water to get the bowels moving, and to replenish
the water lost overnight.

TIMING FATS – THE BASICS

When timing your fats, there are a few basic guidelines to keep in mind.

For reference, we are mainly focusing on starchy carbs in the context of this article, not fiber
as that will not significantly elevate blood glucose or insulin.

First, large amounts of fats are not recommended with large amounts of carbs.  Generally you
will want your meals to be either carbohydrate OR fat dominant with an appropriate serving
of protein.

Of course, a “large” serving is relative to the size of the meal but an easy guideline to start out
with is a 4:1 ratio.  For example, if you have 60g of carbohydrates then you would try to limit
your fats to 15g or less. This accounts for the trace amounts of fats that you might have from
even lean protein sources and some carb sources (like oatmeal).

Conversely, if you were having a fat dominant meal with 40g of fat then you would try to
limit carbs to 10g. This usually isn’t a problem though if you’re just having a source of
protein and perhaps some additional fats as not many of those contain carbohydrates as well.
Keep in mind that we are not counting carbs from fibrous vegetables or the trace amounts that
you might get from nuts.  

Timing

When we look at the most appropriate times to have fat-dominant meals, these will usually be
the meals furthest away from your workouts.  As we covered the basics of timing
carbohydrates in a previous article, meals with your higher amounts of fat will naturally go in
the meals where you need carbs the least.

Unless you train first thing in the morning before eating a full meal, your first meal of the day
is usually the best place to have the largest serving of your fats for the day.  It gives your body
a sufficient supply of fuel to burn to help regulate blood sugar and hormones. This is also
helpful when taking in your fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) in the morning to improve
transportation and absorption.  Even more important than quantity though is the quality of the
fats you’re having at this time. 

If you do happen to train first thing in the morning, a carbohydrate meal might be preferred as
your first whole-food meal of the day as it would be your post-workout meal.  After that, you
could just make your next meal a few hours later your first higher fat meal.

Fats are an essential nutrient for health, recovery, and performance.  The quality and timing
matters just as it does for your other macronutrients, protein and carbohydrates. Remember
that consistency is the key to your long-term progress and continuing to learn will ultimately
speed up your future results.

TIMING CARBS – THE BASICS

Carbohydrates are a tool.  They are not inherently good or bad.  Their contribution to your
progress depends on your ability to apply them at the correct times in the proper amounts
based on the situation.

Before we dive in to the basics of properly timing them, we need to define what we are
considering “carbs”.

For the purpose of this article we are referring to starchy carbs, not fiber.  I also suggest, for
the ease of your life, not to count carbohydrates from fibrous vegetables (broccoli, spinach,
kale, etc) or the trace amount you get from raw nuts.  Trust me, getting an extra 7.5g of carbs
from almonds is not going to derail your nutrition program.

Whether your goal is to put on lean muscle tissue or drop some unwanted body fat, timing
your carbohydrate intake will be key to both recovery and body composition.

The overarching guideline for timing your carbohydrates is to place them when your body is
most in need of them.  Generally speaking this will be around your workout and perhaps for a
few hours afterwards. There are a few other situations which I will cover shortly.

Timing carbs around the workout doesn’t mean in an equal amount pre and post-workout.

Carb Distribution Peri-Workout

Pre-Workout Meal

Generally this will be 2-3 hours before training.  Not everyone will need carbohydrates at this
time. The amount will be conditional on the type of training coming up, how full muscle
glycogen already is, and their goal.  Ideally, muscle glycogen should already be where you
need it before this meal as it is the least opportune time to try and re-fill glycogen stores.

Post-Workout Meal

This is the time where your muscles will take up glucose preferentially over fat tissue.  When
you train, it stimulates what is referred to as “insulin independent uptake” of glucose. I won’t
dive in to the biochemistry here, but if you really want to learn how that all works, I highly
recommend the Nutrition & Program Design course.  This means that you can take in
significantly more carbohydrates at this time and it they will be soaked up by your muscle
cells without the need to increase insulin. Because the muscle cells essentially function like
glucose sponges at this time, it is highly unlikely that any glucose will be stored as fat.

This is the window where we recommend placing the largest servings of your carbohydrates
during the day.  It is usually recommended to use faster digesting sources like white rice or
potatoes rather than highly fibrous or slow digesting ones. We want to make use of the
muscle’s ability to take up lots of carbs rapidly at this time.

Breakfast
Assuming that you don’t train first thing in the morning, breakfast is likely the least valuable
time to have a large amount of carbohydrates.  Sorry to burst your bubble if you’ve been lead
to believe that a large bowl of oatmeal with orange juice is a great way to start the day. That
can often lead to blood sugar dysregulation and a “crash” in energy a few hours later.

A small amount of berries can be helpful for some people as that can help replenish the tiny
amount of liver glycogen that gets burned during the night to sustain your brain.  Your
muscles are not starving for carbs at this time though. They should already be mostly full of
glycogen from the day before if you were consuming carbs after your workout.

Dinner

Some carbs at dinner can be beneficial in some cases. If you consume enough to stimulate
insulin, it can help bring down cortisol which can make it easier to relax and fall asleep.  If
you train late in the day, this is also a good time to perhaps get in a few more carbs to help
continue replenishing muscle glycogen, if necessary.

Summary

To wrap up, here are the key point cliff notes:

1. Muscles are most prepared to take up carbs after training.  

1. Your largest serving of carbs should usually go here.
2. Fast digesting carbs are usually preferred.
2. Breakfast is usually the least beneficial time for a large dose of carbs (Unless you train
right before breakfast. See point #1)
3. Muscle glycogen should already be where you want it before your pre-workout meal.
This is not the time to carb-load.
4. A small amount of slower digesting carbs pre-workout can be beneficial for
hypertrophy or metabolic workouts in some cases.

These are the general guidelines, but keep in mind there is an “it depends” factor to all of
these.  If you would like some additional help with finding what is ideal for you, your goals,
matched with your training, we offer consultation calls as well as monthly coaching which
you can apply for below.

HOW MANY MEALS PER DAY IS BEST?

The first thing we need to address is the common myth about meal frequency that pervades
the health and fitness world. Eating more meals per day in and of itself does not “stoke the
metabolic furnace”, as it has been claimed.  It is not going to automatically make your body
up-regulate it’s metabolism and calorie expenditure as the popular adage may have you
believe. There are however a few factors that will help determine how many meals per day is
optimal for you as an individual. Deciding on the number of times you eat per day depends
primarily on two things:

 Schedule
  Digestion

Schedule

The first, your schedule, simply helps you fit your meals within the constraints of your
lifestyle and day to day activities. Not everyone can take a break from their jobs every three
hours on the dot to open up the lunch box and chow down.  That doesn’t tend to go over well
in the middle of meetings.

So, we have to realistically look at what times in your day you have available to get a meal in.
Ideally we’d want them to be relatively evenly distributed throughout the day, but if you have
2 hours between two meals and 4 hours until the next you’re not going to lose your gains or
have your metabolism decide “nope you missed the window, I’m only storing this as fat. Do
better next time.”

There is value in nutrient timing, so we do have to take this into consideration. Unfortunately,
just eating “whenever” isn’t going to be ideal for most people, especially if your goal is to
optimize body composition.  The easiest way to plan your meal schedule is by starting with
the fixed times you know you’ll have available and that you’ll need nutrients; breakfast and
your post-workout meal.

Once you have those two, it is just a matter of determining when you have the time to
consume the other meals in your day to reach your nutrient requirements for the day.  The
number of meals that you may need to achieve that, depends on the next factor.

Digestion

The next, and perhaps more important factor, is your ability to digest and empty your stomach
between meals.  You certainly could try to cram all your calories in 1 or 2 meals per day,
however unless you are in an extreme calorie deficit (not recommended for any length of
time) that will likely not work well, and here is why…

Your stomach and digestive tract has a maximum rate at which it can break down and absorb
the nutrients from the food you consume. If you’re eating so frequently that you’re not able to
fully digest the previous meal, you’ll spend most of the day with undigested food sitting in
your stomach. Every meal consumed will further slow down the digestion of existing food in
your system.  After a while, food that is not broken down and absorbed will start to either
ferment or will pass through without your body receiving the nutrients, neither of which is an
optimal scenario.

On the other end of the spectrum, consuming a meal so large that your body is unable to
digest it in a timely manner will have a similar result. Food that is not broken down and
absorbed efficiently will ferment in your gut or be passed through and “wasted”, pun
intended. This is why it is important to be able to space your meals appropriately based on the
size and digestibility of those meals.  You will need to learn to assess if you feel like you’re
still “full” from your last meal. This can vary from person to person based on their gut health,
ability to produce stomach acid, and even how well you chew your food. It is also important
that your stomach and digestive system is not constantly working at maximum capacity 24/7.  
It’s a good idea to have a 10-12 hour period each day during which you aren’t consuming
more material for your body to digest, sometimes longer on occasion.  This works out well if
you have your final meal about 1-2 hours before bed, sleep for 8 hours, and then eat about an
hour after waking up. The less energy your body is using to digest while you sleep, the better
it will be able to focus on the recovery processes necessary to help you detox, repair muscle,
improve insulin sensitivity, and refresh your nervous system.

With all this considered, the “sweet spot” for most people who are training will be between 4-
5 whole food meals per day.  In the end, it comes down to what is best for your body and
lifestyle that will help you achieve your fastest progress. The perfect plan means nothing if
it’s not practical and you can’t execute it.

RESISTANT STARCH – PART 1

What if I told you there was a starch that increased insulin sensitivity, preserved muscle, and
helped burn body fat?

Well there is, and it’s called RESISTANT STARCH!

What is Resistant Starch? (RS)

In a single sentence answer:

Resistant starch (in relation to your metabolism) is really precursor to short fatty acids, that
are fat burning, and muscle building.

WHAT?  How can this be?  It says starch right?

Well it’s a starch, by definition that is resistant to digestion.  Starch is considered a

carbohydrate, but its resistant to digestion by our carbohydrate digesting enzymes, this means
it’s not a carbohydrate in human dietary sense.  This is why some may label it as a new type
of fiber, but it’s not actually fiber as we think of dietary fiber, because we do end up getting
calories and nutrients from it, and it does not absorb toxins or water like indigestible dietary
fiber does.

RS does function like a prebiotic though, but it does so mostly lower in the digestive tract
because it is resistant to all but certain bifidobacteria in the gut that are largely present in the
large intestine.  These bifidobacteria then metabolize the resistant starch for their own fuel
and secrete a fatty by product (short chain fatty acids). These fats, short chain fatty acids
(SCHFA’s), are good fats that helps you burn fat, and be more anabolic.  So when you
consume Resistant starch, you actually net a slow intake of beneficial fats.

Thoroughly confused?  Let’s break down how this works.

How Resistant Starches Work

Normal starches are long chains of sugar molecules, largely glucose, that are broken down
gradually once you eat them.  They are so easy to digest enzymes in your saliva are already
breaking off little molecules of glucose for you before you swallow.  This is why things like
white bread taste sweet despite being low in sugar. The more complex a starch, the longer it
takes to break down.  This is what gives foods the property of fast vs slow carbs. More
complex carbs like those in whole oats require more work in the small intestine to completely
break down the starches.  Thus you get a nice slow release of glucose into the bloodstream.

Resistant starch is not broken down by digestion, and does not yield any glucose molecules
for you.  It’s complex structure makes it too difficult for your normal digestive enzymes to
break down. So it’s essentially undigested in the small intestine.

The large intestine however is rich in beneficial Bifidobacteria.  These bacteria actually
consume the resistant starch as a fuel source for themselves.  A byproduct of bacterial
metabolism of resistant starch is short chain fatty acids (SCFAs).  These come in the form of
butyrate, acetate, and propionate. You then absorb these SCFAs in your large intestine or the
intestinal cells can actually use these fatty acids as a fuel source.

Because short chain fatty acids are also an extremely beneficial fuel source for the cells of the
intestinal wall, you get a lot of digestive benefits from consuming resistant starch.  The
healthier your intestinal wall, the better you will absorb nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and
amino acids.

In terms of the large intestine, mineral absorption is perhaps the most beneficially affected.
People who have chronically low levels of minerals and electrolytes likely have less power,
lower intestine health, and poor absorption.

Additionally, many studies have linked butyrate and propionate to increased insulin
sensitivity and increased fatty acid oxidation independent of the effect on the intestinal lining.
A portion of the short chain fatty acids created from digestion of resistant starch are actually
taken up into the bloodstream. When our cells get these SCFA’s, it has a dramatic effect on
cellular metabolism and glucose transport.  SCFA’s up-regulate the cAMP pathway which
increases the fat burning activity of the mitochondria in your cells. This means not only more
energy production, but more energy while preserving muscle protein and glycogen stores.

In addition to the fat burning signal, muscle cells also become more insulin sensitive,
therefore glucose is taken up much more efficiently.  So much more in fact that some research
shows that consuming resistant starch 2 hours before a high carbohydrate meal can
significantly blunt the blood glucose spike!

This is incredibly value if you have insulin management issues!

What makes this even better, is that because of the up-regulation of fatty acid metabolism,
insulin sensitivity of fat cells is not increased.  Fat cells actually receive a signal to release
more fatty acids to be used as fuel.

The net result of consuming resistant starch is that you get SCFA’s into your system that
increase fat burning, fatty acid release from fat cells, and have an anti-catabolic and insulin
sensitizing effect on muscle tissue.  And as an added bonus, increased intestinal health leads
to greater nutrient absorption for better recovery and performance.
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Carb Load vs Cheat Meal

Many times people confuse carb meals and cheat meals. While a cheat meal can be high in
carbs, it can also be higher in other things. The purpose of a carb meal is to replenish
glycogen levels, and stimulate insulin release to up-regulate metabolism. A cheat meal can
also replenish glycogen and stimulate insulin, but its purpose is more mental and social than
physiological.

The biggest difference nutritionally between a carb load meal and a cheat meal is that carb
meals should consist of a high amount of carbohydrates, a moderate amount of protein, and
little to no fat. In terms of maintaining insulin sensitivity and staying lean, having high
amounts of carbs and fat together is a recipe for failure. When fats and insulin are high in the
blood it leads to increased fat storage, and no fat burning. It can also drive fatty acids into the
muscle cells which decreases the insulin sensitivity of those cells, making it harder for you to
get glucose in those muscles later.

Goals of a Carb Meal

When you are dieting, training hard, or both, you start depleting glycogen stores.  As
glycogen stores decrease your body will start to increase the percentage of protein and fat it
uses for fuel.  While increased fat metabolism is desirable, protein catabolism is not. The way
to maximize fat loss while keeping muscle mass is to re-feed your body carbohydrates at the
appropriate intervals, and appropriate times.  While insulin is known as the fat storing
hormone, it is also an upstream signaling hormone that helps regulate how active your
metabolism is. Insulin spikes when nutrient intake is high (protein or carbohydrate mostly)
and the bodies metabolic processes will speed up when it thinks it is being well nourished.
Conversely during starvation diets, or when a person goes low carb for too long, the lack of
insulin release can cause metabolism to slow down. This is the bodies natural defense
mechanism against starvation.

   To capitalize on the body composition benefits of depleting and replenishing glycogen
levels and stimulating insulin you must take advantage of both periods of lower carb intake,
and higher carb intake.  The size and frequency of carb loading meals is dependent on your
size, metabolic type and efficiency, training, goals, and body fat levels. The more you are
worried about fat loss, the longer you probably need to take between carb meals, allowing
yourself to dip into lower levels of glycogen and higher rates of fat loss.  If you are trying to
put on muscle while staying lean, then carb loads can be as frequent as every day. The time of
the day is also important for getting the optimal hormone response.

   Carb load meals can still come from clean foods.  Organic rice, quinoa, fruit, maple syrup
etc. You don’t have to consume highly-processed low-quality foods in order to get a carb load
meal.  That being said, people often make the mistake of trying to carb load with lower GI
foods thinking it is healthier. If you are suppose to have a 100g carb meal, trying to do it with
just sweet potato can be a challenge because of the sheer amount of food.  So choose an carb
dense food for higher carb loading meals. High glycemic carbs are ok when the goal is to get
an insulin spike.

Summary:  A carb load is designed to take replenish glycogen and stimulate insulin for
maximum metabolism and anabolism on a frequency and intensity based on your goals and
stats.  It can and probably should be from a nutritionally sound food source.

Goals of a Cheat Meal

When you think of the work “cheat”. It implies bad or negative, and in this case, refers to
foods (not on my diet). So when I tell people they can have a cheat meal and then they
respond with, “OK, but how many carbs should it be?”, I shake my head. It’s a CHEAT
MEAL, which means, eat freely.

It doesn’t have to be carelessly but it should be freely. I still recommend people respect their
bodies and not put anything in that is going to cause more damage than the extra empty
calories. For example if you know gluten or dairy makes you inflamed, or gives you
headaches or nausea etc. It’s probably not even a good cheat food for you. Especially since
there are now gluten/dairy free versions of all your favorite foods. My personal rules are no
gluten, and no trans fats ever enter my diet. But will I occasionally dabble in some ice cream
or gluten free pizza etc, sure.

Cheat meals are more for people’s sanity than their body composition. Yes you can get some
of the same benefits as a carb load meal, but often times their are accompanying fats,
preservatives, and junk in the food. Overall these foods tend to be lower in nutritional value.
But I will repeat, the goal of a cheat meal is to give a person a mental break from dieting, to
enjoy the things in life, a social gathering or whatever it may be.

Cheat meal frequency really depends on your goals as well. For the average person trying to
get in shape, occasional cheat meals are ok; for a competitor 8 weeks out from a contest,
forget about it. Anyone that has been on a diet knows that at times the diet can be a source of
stress, and a break can be quite liberating. If you are stressing over eating clean food, you are
still going to have a negative hormonal response because you are driving cortisol up with your
mind! So have realistic goals and realistic expectations. Don’t be afraid to take a break for a
meal when you need it, but also don’t view it as a reward or as a crutch.

You can earn carbs from good dieting and hard training. You don’t necessarily earn cheat
meals, even though the better you are doing with nutrition and training outside the cheat meal,
the less damage it is likely to cause to your body composition goals. The problem with
viewing food as a reward system is people begin to make up any excuse possible to reward
themselves and often become unrealistic about their reward system.

Summary: Cheat meals can be any combination of macronutrients, not just carbs, but you
should avoid foods that you know don’t suit your body well. Cheats are not rewards, they are
mental breaks from dieting so you can enjoy life.

8 Muscle BUILDING MISTAKES STALLING YOUR PROGRESS

n the quest for muscle growth, these are the most common muscle building mistakes that
everyone from beginners to advanced trainees make all too frequently. Most are often
overlooked and are easy to avoid. Don’t fall in to one of these traps!

8. Doing the Same Workout For Too Long

No, this is not about ‘muscle confusion’ or just changing things up with different exercises.
You need to change the actual stimulus of your workout periodically. The body adapts to the
training stimulus we subject it to but this only happens for so long. Eventually either the
stimulus is insufficient to create an adaptation response or we can no longer recover from the
stimulus. Progress stalls and we hit a plateau even if we try to continue increasing volume or
intensity. This is where proper periodization of training stimuli becomes important for
continued progress.

7. Always Training for Hypertrophy

Sounds counterintuitive doesn’t it? In order to progress the stimuli for hypertrophy we also
have to improve our performance and recovery capabilities via other training methods. For
example, using a neurological phase (strength/power training) to improve the number of fast
twitch muscle fibers we can recruit in a contraction. Or using a metabolic training phase to
improve our mitochondria’s ability to produce energy both during a set for sustained
performance and outside of the workout to speed up recovery. This is why strategically
implementing other types of training can ultimately speed up your long-term muscle growth.

6. Using Too Much Volume or Overusing Intensifiers & Advanced Techniques

The fastest muscle growth occurs when you perform the minimum effective dose to stimulate
hypertrophy paired with optimal recovery. Doing excessive volume simply creates more for
you to recover from without necessarily any additional muscle gain. Overdoing volume or
intensification techniques (drop sets, super sets, etc) past what you need to achieve the
stimulus or more than you are capable of recovering from will result in slower recovery and
growth.

5. Poor Nutrition Quality

The quality of nutrients we put in our bodies has a significant impact on recovery and
potential for changing body composition. Many nutrients are essential in the pathways and
processes that take place in order to build muscle tissue. Lack of essential nutrients, or the
consumption of low-quality nutrients can lead to increased inflammation and systemic stress.
Both of which will put the brakes on the hypertrophy process. No one wants to hear that the
secret to building muscle is starting with a foundation of micronutrients, vitamins, and
minerals. It’s just not sexy or interesting. If they are missing though, none of the other fancy
strategies and techniques will be as effective and you’ll be wasting a lot of time, money, and
frustration.
4. Not Focusing on Recovery

You’ve probably heard that muscles aren’t built in the gym. We create stresses (stimuli)
during training to trigger an adaptation that results in muscle gain, fat loss, or nervous system
changes. The key is making sure that you have the ability and sufficient nutrients to recover
from those stresses.

It may be simple and not sexy, but quality sleep is critical. Lack of quality sleep will result in
decreased glucose sensitivity (sometimes referred to as insulin sensitivity) making it more
challenging to partition nutrients to muscle growth rather than getting stored as fat. During
sleep is also when your body produces its highest amount of growth hormone, repairs and
detoxes the liver, and the nervous system recovers. All of which are essential if you’re
wanting to pack on lean muscle tissue as fast as humanly possible. This muscle building
mistake is perpetuated by all the focus on “training hard” perpetuated on social media without
paying proper respect to the fact that the harder you train, the more you need to prioritize
recovery.

3. Not Learning Proper Execution

Learning proper execution gives you the power to put tension on the target muscle you’re
trying to train. Creating tension is the cornerstone of all training stimuli. Without proper
execution, other muscle groups will by lending to movement and less tension will be created
in the target muscles. This means that you will have to do more sets and reps to get the same
stimulus.

That may not sound so bad at first, but when you consider that the additional work is
contributing to unnecessary stress on your system, you’re only creating more to recover from
than you really need to. This will shorten the time you can stay in a particular phase of
training because of the excess recovery requirements and stress. You also won’t be able to get
the maximum benefit from some stimuli because your recovery capability has to compete
with the additional stress due to poor execution. Learn more about why tension matters to
achieve the fastest results HERE.

2. Focusing On Execution At The Expense of Effort

At the other end of the spectrum, it is a mistake to focus so hard on execution that it becomes
inhibitory to your ability to actually produce intensity and put effort into your reps. No matter
how hard you ‘mentally’ squeeze a muscle, at some point you HAVE to add load to continue
to create a stimulus. You have to progress intensity. That is not specific to hypertrophy either.
Once you can competently execute an exercise, you have to use load as a part of increasing
the stimulus in conjunction with your other training variables. Moving weight is not the goal,
but the weight is an important tool.

1. Trying to Over Isolate

Trying to over-isolate a muscle in a movement that is meant to function in tandem with other
muscle groups creates a neurological conflict and drastically reduces the load (and stimulus)
you are capable of using.

An example would be a quad-dominant squat or hack squat. The goal is not to ONLY use the
quads to squat. The glutes need to fire as well for stability and in order for the quadriceps to
contract with maximum intensity. Trying to only use your quads is not only challenging, but
cuts the load you can use so drastically that you aren’t getting the potential stimulus (might as
well do a leg extension). It also trains an unnatural movement pattern and can eventually lead
to neurological inhibition. Understand what muscles are meant to fire and function together in
certain movements. Being able to bias a movement to a specific muscle with execution is one
thing, but be careful that you’re not defeating the purpose of the exercise or creating
dysfunctional movement patterns.

n the quest for muscle growth, these are the most common muscle building mistakes that
everyone from beginners to advanced trainees make all too frequently. Most are often
overlooked and are easy to avoid. Don’t fall in to one of these traps!

8. Doing the Same Workout For Too Long

No, this is not about ‘muscle confusion’ or just changing things up with different exercises.
You need to change the actual stimulus of your workout periodically. The body adapts to the
training stimulus we subject it to but this only happens for so long. Eventually either the
stimulus is insufficient to create an adaptation response or we can no longer recover from the
stimulus. Progress stalls and we hit a plateau even if we try to continue increasing volume or
intensity. This is where proper periodization of training stimuli becomes important for
continued progress.

7. Always Training for Hypertrophy

Sounds counterintuitive doesn’t it? In order to progress the stimuli for hypertrophy we also
have to improve our performance and recovery capabilities via other training methods. For
example, using a neurological phase (strength/power training) to improve the number of fast
twitch muscle fibers we can recruit in a contraction. Or using a metabolic training phase to
improve our mitochondria’s ability to produce energy both during a set for sustained
performance and outside of the workout to speed up recovery. This is why strategically
implementing other types of training can ultimately speed up your long-term muscle growth.

6. Using Too Much Volume or Overusing Intensifiers & Advanced Techniques

The fastest muscle growth occurs when you perform the minimum effective dose to stimulate
hypertrophy paired with optimal recovery. Doing excessive volume simply creates more for
you to recover from without necessarily any additional muscle gain. Overdoing volume or
intensification techniques (drop sets, super sets, etc) past what you need to achieve the
stimulus or more than you are capable of recovering from will result in slower recovery and
growth.

5. Poor Nutrition Quality

The quality of nutrients we put in our bodies has a significant impact on recovery and
potential for changing body composition. Many nutrients are essential in the pathways and
processes that take place in order to build muscle tissue. Lack of essential nutrients, or the
consumption of low-quality nutrients can lead to increased inflammation and systemic stress.
Both of which will put the brakes on the hypertrophy process. No one wants to hear that the
secret to building muscle is starting with a foundation of micronutrients, vitamins, and
minerals. It’s just not sexy or interesting. If they are missing though, none of the other fancy
strategies and techniques will be as effective and you’ll be wasting a lot of time, money, and
frustration.

4. Not Focusing on Recovery

You’ve probably heard that muscles aren’t built in the gym. We create stresses (stimuli)
during training to trigger an adaptation that results in muscle gain, fat loss, or nervous system
changes. The key is making sure that you have the ability and sufficient nutrients to recover
from those stresses.

It may be simple and not sexy, but quality sleep is critical. Lack of quality sleep will result in
decreased glucose sensitivity (sometimes referred to as insulin sensitivity) making it more
challenging to partition nutrients to muscle growth rather than getting stored as fat. During
sleep is also when your body produces its highest amount of growth hormone, repairs and
detoxes the liver, and the nervous system recovers. All of which are essential if you’re
wanting to pack on lean muscle tissue as fast as humanly possible. This muscle building
mistake is perpetuated by all the focus on “training hard” perpetuated on social media without
paying proper respect to the fact that the harder you train, the more you need to prioritize
recovery.

3. Not Learning Proper Execution

Learning proper execution gives you the power to put tension on the target muscle you’re
trying to train. Creating tension is the cornerstone of all training stimuli. Without proper
execution, other muscle groups will by lending to movement and less tension will be created
in the target muscles. This means that you will have to do more sets and reps to get the same
stimulus.

That may not sound so bad at first, but when you consider that the additional work is
contributing to unnecessary stress on your system, you’re only creating more to recover from
than you really need to. This will shorten the time you can stay in a particular phase of
training because of the excess recovery requirements and stress. You also won’t be able to get
the maximum benefit from some stimuli because your recovery capability has to compete
with the additional stress due to poor execution. Learn more about why tension matters to
achieve the fastest results HERE.

2. Focusing On Execution At The Expense of Effort

At the other end of the spectrum, it is a mistake to focus so hard on execution that it becomes
inhibitory to your ability to actually produce intensity and put effort into your reps. No matter
how hard you ‘mentally’ squeeze a muscle, at some point you HAVE to add load to continue
to create a stimulus. You have to progress intensity. That is not specific to hypertrophy either.
Once you can competently execute an exercise, you have to use load as a part of increasing
the stimulus in conjunction with your other training variables. Moving weight is not the goal,
but the weight is an important tool.

1. Trying to Over Isolate

Trying to over-isolate a muscle in a movement that is meant to function in tandem with other
muscle groups creates a neurological conflict and drastically reduces the load (and stimulus)
you are capable of using.

An example would be a quad-dominant squat or hack squat. The goal is not to ONLY use the
quads to squat. The glutes need to fire as well for stability and in order for the quadriceps to
contract with maximum intensity. Trying to only use your quads is not only challenging, but
cuts the load you can use so drastically that you aren’t getting the potential stimulus (might as
well do a leg extension). It also trains an unnatural movement pattern and can eventually lead
to neurological inhibition. Understand what muscles are meant to fire and function together in
certain movements. Being able to bias a movement to a specific muscle with execution is one
thing, but be careful that you’re not defeating the purpose of the exercise or creating
dysfunctional movement patterns.

FIBER IS A VALUABLE NUTRIENT

There are two main classifications of fiber, soluble and insoluble, and each play important
roles in maintaining gut health and assisting your body in elimination of waste.  You are no
doubt familiar with the importance of your macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats)
for health, performance, and body composition.  But your fiber intake, and the type of fiber,
can be equally as important for optimizing your health and recovery. 

Soluble Fiber

Soluble fiber dissolves in liquid and digestive fluids and turns into a gel-like consistency. This
types of fiber are referred to as “prebiotics” and is fed upon by the bacteria in your gut.  It is
vital to promoting a healthy gut flora balance as the bacteria in your intestinal microbiome are
responsible for breaking down what you consume so that your body can effectively absorb
them. Types of soluble fibers:
  Fructans
o Inulin
o FOS (fructooligosaccharides)
o Oligofructose
 Galactan
 Pectin
 Beta-glucan

Insoluble Fiber

Insoluble fiber is responsible for adding volume to bowel movements and aiding in motility.
It binds with bile in the intestinal tract to help transport toxins out of the body through
excretion.  A lack of insoluble fiber decrease your body’s ability to export toxins through the
intestines, leading to re-absorption of the very materials your body is trying to get rid of. A
lack of insoluble fiber can lead to irregularity or even digestive distress if you are not
excreting the toxins your body is attempting to eliminate.

Recommendations

The general recommendation for fiber consumption is 25-30g per day.  However, that does
not account for the drastic potential variation in an individual’s food consumption and
microbiome needs.  A safe starting place is about 15g per 100g of carbohydrates. This should
be quite easy if you are consuming 1-2 servings of vegetables with each of your whole-food
meals, which is something we highly recommend to all of our students and clients.  By eating
a serving of fibrous vegetables along with colored varieties at each meal you should have no
trouble reaching a healthy amount of soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet.

NUTRITION LABEL DECEPTIONS

Performance improvements and muscular growth are contingent upon both the stimulus from
training and the availability of nutritional resources to recover. Most would agree that it is
important to manage what we put into our bodies if we expect to get the most from our
carefully planned diets and rigorous training regimes.

Although it is generally better to stick to whole single-ingredient foods and avoid items that
come in wrappers or boxes, understanding the labeling information on the foods we consume
is valuable.  This knowledge will likely have an impact on your health and your body-
composition if and when you choose to consume these items. First, we must distinguish the
difference between two types of labels; “Supplement Facts” and “Nutrition Facts”.

FDA Definitions

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a supplement is defined as a product
consumed orally that is not intended as a sole meal and contains ‘dietary ingredients’ which
include [1]: · Vitamins · Minerals · Herbs or other botanicals · Amino acids · Enzymes The
primary differences occur in the disclosure of sources of ‘dietary ingredients’. For example,
sources cannot be listed on a “Nutrition Facts” panel but can be in a “Supplement Facts”
panel. Dietary ingredients without an established recommended daily intake (RDI) must be
listed in the “Supplement Facts”, but are not allowed to be listed in a “Nutrition Facts” label
[1]. Additionally, due to FDA regulations, many U.S companies list BCAA’s and similar as
containing ‘0’ calories – this is due to them only being obligated to add macro’s such as
protein, carbs and fats to their labels. Other supplements, such as some popular pre-workouts,
do not list their calorie content despite having carbohydrates such as dextrose or maltodextrin
because they are considered binders or fillers rather than active ingredients. The majority of
this article will be focused on nutrition labels, but it would be negligent not to briefly touch on
one crucial aspect of supplement labels.

Proprietary Blends

When reading a ‘proprietary blend’ on a supplement, it is important to note that the FDA only
requires the total amount of the blend to be listed, though manufacturers can choose to show
amounts of certain ingredients if they choose. The ingredients must be listed in order of
weight, which can give you an indication of which ingredients make up the bulk of the blend
and how much of the beneficial ingredients you want are actually in the products. For
example, the first ingredient listed should be the most abundant ingredient included in the
blend (based upon weight), the second listed ingredient should be the second most abundant
etc.

Nutrition Labels

0 ≠ Zero

One of the current marketing trends is to list something as ‘zero calorie’ or ‘0g Trans Fats’,
but that does not mean that there are not any calories or trans fats in the product. According to
the FDA, when the caloric value for a serving of food is less than 5 calories it is allowed to be
listed as zero and meets their definition of calorie-free [2]. In these cases it is essential to
consider the serving size as well. Many products that are listed as ‘zero calorie’ have very
small serving sizes meaning that it is easy to add excess calories by using large portions or
consuming overly-frequently, such as powdered drinks or artificial sweeteners. Some
companies are certainly guilty of purposely presenting unrealistically small serving sizes just
to give the illusion of being calorie-free, an example being many ‘zero calorie’ cooking sprays
which often list a serving size as being ⅓ of a second per spray (the maximum needed to be
able to still round down the calories to zero).

Sugar Content

Not all sugar is “bad” as touched on in other articles. They key point is to determine what the
source (and context) is. Naturally occurring sugar, such as in vegetables and fruits, are
certainly not a serious health concern given that ludicrous amounts that would need to be
consumed to fall into that category, though added sugars and artificial sugars should typically
be limited. Also, a sugar being classified as ‘organic’ does not necessarily mean it is better for
you (cane sugar used in soft drinks for instance) and still carries with it the potential for
harmful effects like any other sugar consumed in excess; increased inflammation, body fat
accumulation, and insulin resistance to name a few. The term ‘organic’ as it relates to sugar,
refers to the farming methods used to procure it, but that does not mean that it’s any less
highly processed than other types of sugar [3]!

"Enriched" But Less Healthy

Just because something isn’t considered a sugar, doesn’t mean that it won’t have the same or
similar effect on blood sugar. Enriched grains have less nutrient value and will have a greater
impact on elevating blood sugar and stimulate insulin more than whole grains will. They are
actually more highly refined and have had the germ and bran removed (the bran and germ
contain the natural fiber and nutrients), therefore the manufacturer adds back in synthesized
ingredients in an attempt to compensate, however these artificial ingredients may not have the
same bioavailability as their natural counterparts.

Don't Get Caught By the Catchphrase

Companies regularly use popular phrases or buzz words that appeal to the common consumer.
The fact that you are reading this article means you are clearly a step above the average
shopper, but don’t be misled by marketing phrases such as:

Catchphrase Translation
“All Natural” Vegetables are natural, but so are arsenic and snake venom. This only means that artificial
ingredients were not added and the product was minimally processed but does not indicate th
quality or effect it has on your body [4].
“No Sugar Just because additional sugar was not put into the product does not mean that the sugar conte
Added” low. Technically, raw cane sugar can be labeled as ‘no sugar added’ too.
“Sugar-Free” A common phrase on many items marketed as ‘diet food’. Usually this means that additional
and artificial sweeteners are included in excess to compensate and improve the flavor. Some
artificial sweeteners can also impact your blood sugar levels just as easily as regular sugar, b
is a topic for another article.
“Zero Trans Trans fat amounts less than 0.5g (per serving or otherwise) are listed as “0” [2]. The key is to
Fats” the ingredient list and look for either “partially hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated”, which mea
there are trans fats present. The scope and effects of trans fats are topics for a full article on i
but the basic information is that it will increase LDL (bad cholesterol) and decrease HDL (go
cholesterol) along with a host of other potentially negative side effects.
“Organic” As mentioned previously, the organic label is based on the methods of farming for produce, d
and meat. The methods defined as ‘organic’ emphasize water and resource conservation whil
reducing pollution. It does not ensure that the products are free of contaminants or pollutant r
[5].
“Fat-Free” Often an indicator that other ingredients have been added to improve the consistency and flav
the product to compensate for the lack of fats. Binders or thickener, lots of sugars, and/or arti
sweeteners are regularly found in excess in such products, none of which are beneficial to yo
health or physique goals. Oftentimes these additional ingredients can inhibit digestion and nu
absorption. If something is added to bind your food together, what do you think it does in yo
digestive system?
“Light” Products termed as ‘light’ can refer to reduced calories, which usually means less fat and mo
sugar. Or it can simply refer to the color, such as with olive oil or syrups, and the calories are
exactly the same. Read carefully…
“Made with This marketing phrase has little to no value whatsoever because as long as there is more than
 Catchphrase Translation
Real Fruit” actual fruit in the product then this claim is valid, even if the other 99.9% is pure chemicals.
“Free-Range No, this does not mean that the birds were raised exclusively outdoors and allowed to roam a
(poultry)” wide-open field all day. It simply means that they were allowed outside regularly rather than
kept in cages 24/7 [4].
“Fresh Poultry” As long as the internal temperature of the meat has not dropped below 26˚F, it is still conside
‘fresh’ according to this designation [4]. It has no relation to the age of the meat since harves

Conclusion

Finding the nutritional or supplemental quality of an item is much more than reading just the
numbers found on the panel. Yes, you will want to consider the overall calories and
macronutrient content, but it is equally as vital to know where those macros are coming from.
Carbs from natural fiber versus artificially added sugars clearly do not have the same impact
on your health. If you want your body to operate, perform, and grow optimally then these
points are essential to consider next time you pick-up a packaged item. As someone who cares
about their health, a reminder that single-ingredient foods are usually your best bet, though if
and when you delve into the world of packaged goods and the like, pay attention to what
you’re putting into your body and keep in mind the famous phrase, “you are what you eat”.
Be sure to put this knowledge to good use and choose wisely in order to optimize your health,
your performance, and your body-composition in your quest.

CINNAMON – THE SURPRISING ADVANTAGE SITTING ON YOUR SHELF

Cinnamon is of course a popular spice used during the holiday season, and often found in
bakery favorites, but you may be surprised to learn that it also enhances much more than the
topping of your favorite carb-coma-inducing desserts!

Its slightly sweet and aromatic flavor is not only enjoyable (to most), but it provides a number
of added benefits, including its ability to help significantly increase insulin sensitivity. As you
may well know, improved insulin sensitivity can lead to a more favorable body composition.

So whether it’s to combat that massive insulin spike from a cheat meal mountain of pie and
ice cream, or to more effectively utilize the simple carbohydrates in your post-workout shake,
cinnamon is a spice worth adding, both for flavor, and to get the most out of the nutrients you
consume on your quest for physique enhancement and improved health.

Types

First, we must distinguish between the two primary types of cinnamon. Differentiation will
become important later on as we delve into the effects of supplementation: The more
expensive form, Ceylon cinnamon, also called ‘true cinnamon’ or ‘Cinnamomum verum’. The
more commonly known and most frequently used form, Cinnamomum Cassia, also known as,
‘Chinese cinnamon’, found in the spice section of your grocery store. If the label on the
container of the powder you pick up does not specify either, it is very likely Cassia. If you
purchase the actual cinnamon sticks, the best way to tell the difference is by looking along the
length of the stick. If the stick is of the Ceylon variety, than the bark will be thinner and you
will see multiple layers. Cassia, on the other hand, is thicker and will appear to be a single
thick shaving [1].

Effects On The Body & Body Composition

It should be noted that Cassia cinnamon is the most commonly used in scientific studies, and
has the most data on its effects in the body. More specifically, and this is where our interest
lies, its effects on insulin sensitivity and glucose regulation. It appears that the effects of
cinnamon, and the compounds it contains, have both acute and cumulative effects. Although
the results of studies on cinnamon supplementation have been varied, they seem to depend
upon the length of the study, type of cinnamon used, and the extent of obesity and insulin
resistance of the test subjects. For example, one long-term study, using a double-blind placebo
method, found that after 40 days of cinnamon consumption in the range of 1-6g per day, both
fasting glucose levels and LDL (aka ‘bad’ cholesterol) decreased in subjects with type 2
diabetes [2]. This study and others have also shown a beneficial effect on body fat percent and
lean body mass compared with a control group [2][3]. This was replicated in a second study
lasting over 120 days using an equivalent of 3g of cinnamon cassia powder per day [4]. The
reduction in fasting glucose levels and impact on body composition are certainly cumulative,
appearing to take approximately 5-6 weeks to be realized.
These results indicate that cassia effectively works as an insulin mimicker and aids in cellular
glucose metabolism. This means that it enhances the cells ability to uptake glucose from the
blood in the absence of insulin. Excellent news for those looking to increase glucose
sensitivity! We have seen that even for individuals with severe insulin sensitivity issues, such
as type 2 diabetics, cinnamon can be highly effective. Cassia extract has been observed to
have anti-diabetic effects by lowering blood glucose levels when consumed during a glucose
tolerance test compared to a control group [5].

Fat Oxidation and Anti-Inflammatory Properties

The benefits of compounds found in cinnamon extend beyond its favorable effects on insulin
and glucose. Cinnamaldehyde, a major component of cinnamon, is responsible for its flavor
and smell and has been observed to lower ghrelin secretion, the hormone that makes you feel
hungry. This means that when calories are relatively low, it could help suppress appetite and,
ultimately, make it easier to stick to your diet An additional benefit, and a substantial one for
those looking to improve body composition, is that cinnamaldehyde up-regulates genes found
in adipose tissue that are related to fatty acid oxidation. So not only does it reduce the
sensation of hunger, but it also speeds up the fat burning process [6]! That pretty much sounds
like an advertisement for most commercial “fat burners” on the market…. In addition to
glucose management, Ceylon cinnamon in particular has been shown to have potent
antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties [7] making it a great choice as a post-workout
recovery agent.

Dosage & Timing

The effective dose has been determined to be in a range of 1-6g per day dependent upon body
weight (lighter-heavier), plus given what we have learned about Cinnamons effect on insulin
sensitivity, it seems we would be wise to consume it with carbohydrate-containing meals in
order to improve its uptake into muscle cells. To enhance this effect, adding it to post-workout
shakes and / or post-workout meals would seem to be ideal. Fortunately, it even goes quite
well mixed with a chocolate protein shake, oatmeal, or even white rice.

A Disclaimer: More Is NOT Necessarily Better

You may be thinking, “If this works to manage insulin, then if / when I increase carbs, I
should take more cinnamon right?”. Well, not exactly. Like many things when taken in
excess, even cinnamon can be potentially harmful. Although many of the compounds found in
cinnamon are highly beneficial, some others could possibly have negative consequences if
consumed in high enough amounts. Coumarin for example, a secondary component of
cinnamon, is toxic to the liver and kidneys in high doses. The tolerable daily intake (TDI)
established by the European Food Safety Authority, has been set at .1mg/kg of bodyweight.
This is the amount that can be consumed daily without fear of any adverse effects. To achieve
effective (for our purposes) doses of cinnamon cassia, it is relatively easy to exceed this
allowance given that the tested concentrations range from .07% to 1.2% [8]. This means that
for every 100mg of cinnamon you consume, you’ll get about 1mg of coumarin. Now, before
you get alarmed and start doing the math to check if you’ve been damaging your liver and
kidneys (I’ll actually cover that below), it is important to keep in mind that, contrary to what
the name suggests, TDI recommendations are actually by no means the maximal amount the
body can tolerate. Those recommendations are typically hundreds of times lower than
quantities which themselves have been shown not to cause any noticeable effects [9].
Basically, TDI recommendations should be viewed as amounts where there is essentially a
0.00% chance of even coming remotely close to any negative side effects whatsoever, even in
the most sensitive individuals. There really is little cause for alarm unless you are consuming
cinnamon powder by the spoonful multiple times per day (don’t try it, not a pleasant
experience). The amount of coumarin necessary to provide a dose that would be lethal 50% of
the time, is approximately 275mg/kg. Even to get just 1/10th of that quantity, a 200lb man
would have to ingest 2.5g of pure coumarin, which is just a ludicrous amount. Given that 1
kilogram of cinnamon powder on average contains less than 5g (.5%) of coumarin [10], then
unless you plan on dining on half a kilogram of cinnamon powder (1.1 pounds for my
imperial friends), you don’t realistically have anything to worry about – for further clarity,
that’s over 180 teaspoons, or 3 months worth of supplementation at 5.5g/per day. If you still
wish to avoid any concerns over coumarin content, just choose the Ceylon variety of
cinnamon as it has been shown to contain only trace amounts compared to Cassia.

Conclusion

While not as glamourous as the most-hyped supplements on the market, cinnamon is an

understated but valuable weapon for a bodybuilder, or anyone for that matter, who is seeking
to improve their body composition. It’s an inexpensive supplement with the potential to
drastically improve your ability to utilize nutrients, with advantageous effects on glucose and
insulin regulation, fat oxidation, plus its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties
should not be overlooked. Without a doubt, cinnamon should be a staple in the arsenal of
practically every health conscious individual, and all those who are aspiring to get the most
out of what they put into their body and advance their physique goals.
IS SLEEP AFFECTING YOUR INSULIN SENSITIVITY?

Having great insulin sensitivity makes it easier to put on muscle and shred body fat in
addition to the vast benefits to your overall health. Some would label insulin as the hormone
of aging, meaning that the more you make the faster you age. In a sense that is how the blood
marker HbA1c, the standard measure for diabetes and insulin resistance, works. HbA1c is a
measure of how fast your red blood cells are dying, which is directly related to how much
insulin they are exposed to.

Aside from your diet, the most important insulin sensitizing thing you can do is get a good
night’s sleep. Studies spanning the globe show a universal trend of the negative impact of
sleep deprivation on insulin sensitivity. It’s very clear that not getting enough good quality
sleep will disrupt your body’s glucose-insulin response. During your slumber the body
rebuilds its receptors for vital hormones like insulin, androgens, and corticosteroids.

Unfortunately, we don’t tend to prioritize sleep at all. In fact, we tend to the opposite. We try
to find ways to sleep less and be awake more. Coffee is the largest world-traded commodity.
Now add to that all the caffeinated beverages and stimulants used every week. Most people
use drugs and supplements to put themselves in a hyper-awake state, and often have low
quantity and low quality of sleep. 45% of people claim to have poor sleep, and from what I
have seen from athletes, the percentage is even higher.

Some might thinking 7-9 hours of sleep per night makes you lazy.  There are misconceptions
regarding burning more calories for time awake. The difference per hour compared to sleep
averaged about 17 kcal. However not sleeping enough increases risk of increased hunger and
food intake, as well as reduction in overall physical activity from fatigue which leads to then
lower kcal expenditure during the hours you are awake.  According to the latest statistics,
insomnia, the most common sleep disorder, costs the American economy over $60 billion in
lost productivity.

Not Too Much and Not Too Little

If we look at current research (there’s a lot).  You have studies showing that 1 night of only 4
hours of sleep makes you more insulin resistant the next day.  Another study shows it only
takes 1 week of 5 hours of sleep a night to cause significant reduction in insulin sensitivity
(1).  Further lack of sleep has even shown to significantly increase mortality.  Sleep quality
also shows a correlation to body mass index, which is not a measure I agree with for an
athletic population, but for the average population, it’s a safe bet to say that poor sleep is
directly correlated with high body fat, not just BMI.  

Additionally oversleeping is also associated with poor hormone management.  This is

especially important for those wishing to build muscle. People who sleep over 9 hours are
usually getting poor quality of sleep.  This leads to the urge to want to sleep in longer. As you
are sleeping, your cortisol levels gradually rise to bring upon your awakened state.  Extending
sleep beyond 9 hours can lead to abnormally heightened cortisol. This combined with a longer
period between meals creates a catabolic state causing muscle breakdown, and a decreased
metabolism via down regulation of thyroid, and resistance to cortisol and/or adrenal fatigue.
Like almost everything in life, the dose determine the benefit.  So a quality 7-9 hours of sleep
is ideal for maximal hormone and insulin sensitizing benefits.  If you sleep quality is
suffering, try and find a solution that works for you, and in the meantime use naps rather than
extended sleep.

TRAINING
UNDERSTANDING TEMPO

Learning how to read and implement tempos are a key for your success in the N1 program.
Tempos are used for progression, changing resistance profiles, altering the stimulus to the
nervous system, emphasizing what is being recruited and where it’s being recruited.

Tempos in Your Program

Lifting tempos will be written in your program to explain the intent in which the exercise
should be performed. Common lifting tempos are: 3011, 4010, 3110. Let’s look at the 3110
tempo.   3 – Time in the eccentric 1 – Time pausing after the eccentric in the lengthened
position of the muscle 1 – Time in the concentric 0 – Time at the end of the concentric.
This is the shortened position of the muscle.

Eccentric

The first number is the eccentric portion of the exercise, in the above case the number 3, is the
amount of time we would like you to spend in the eccentric portion of the exercise. The
eccentric is when the muscle we are trying to train is lengthening. For example, the lowering
of the dumbbells in a curl or the raising of the cable during a lat cable pull down. The
important thing to remember is that this is not always the lowering of a weight or at the start
of the exercise.  It is the lengthening of the muscle.

Lengthened Position

The second number, in the above example 1, is the pause after the eccentric. A pause after the
eccentric is a way to reduce momentum and maintain tension in the muscle being trained. For
example, in the bottom of a squat there is still tension and this is a good place for a pause to
be programed. Pauses can be written for 1 second or more depending on what the emphasis of
the exercise and program are.

Concentric

The third number, in the above example 1, is the time spent in the concentric. This is the
actual contraction of the muscle and movement of the load.
Shortened Position

The fourth and final number, in the above example 0, is the time spent in the peak of the
contraction. If there is a time written here, usually 1-2 seconds, it is called an isometric.  You
are not just holding the weight there. You are consciously trying to squeeze the muscle as
hard as possible, as if you were trying to make it cramp. We must take into account the
resistance profile of an exercise when writing an appropriate tempo.  Take two examples the
barbell squat and the leg extension. In the top of the barbell squat there is no reason for a
written pause. The joints are stacked, and there is no tension in the muscle. A pause written
here is allowing the muscle to rest. In the leg extension there is load in the peak of the
contraction and time spent here is acceptable.

Summary

Key points to remember:

 The first number is not always when the exercise starts, it is the eccentric
 The eccentric is the lengthening “stretch” of a muscle
 The concentric is the shortening of a muscle “contraction or lifting of the load”
 First number – the eccentric, the lengthening “stretch” of the muscle
 Second number – pause in the lengthened position
 Third number – the concentric, the shortening of the muscle “the lifting of the load”
 Fourth number – the pause in the peak of the contraction

Do not ignore the tempos written in your program, they are key in achieving the stimulus
written for your training phase.  

YOUR PROGRAM NEEDS TEMPO

If you are doing a program without tempo, or you’re not following the prescribed tempos, you
need to listen up. Tempo is one of the most important variables in determining the stimulus of
your training program. Reps and sets are meaningless if you don’t control for what the reps
are doing.

You could argue that tempo is just as important as the load you choose. In fact tempo and reps
combined are what really determine the load can/should be using. If you are not controlling
tempo you can throw out the concepts of progressive overload, and any sorts of progression
because you are not controlling the program via controlling the effect of each rep.

Tempo not only determines how much time under tension there is in a rep, it determines the
amount of time you spend in the 4 phases of a rep. Eccentric, lengthened, concentric, and
shortened. Each of these phases has different metabolic and mechanical effects on the muscle.
You can create more or less mechanical damage, or create more or less metabolic stress
simply by altering the tempo.

Tempo also allows you to capitalize on the resistance profiles of different exercises. Some
exercises will have greater resistance in either the lengthened or shortened position.
Controlling the tempo allows you to emphasize these portions of the exercise to get more out
of each rep. A program can not have a clear goal without tempo because it opens the
execution of the program to too many variables.

Tempo Review

Need a refresh on what Tempo is? Here is what we tell our clients Lifting tempos will be
written in your program to explain the intent in which the exercise should be performed.
Common lifting tempos are: 3011, 4010, 3110. Let’s look at the 3110 tempo.

3 – Time in the eccentric

1 – Time pausing after the eccentric in the lengthened position of the muscle

1 – Time in the concentric

0 – Time at the end of the concentric. This is the shortened position of the muscle.

Check out the full article on Tempo in the related articles section below.

Customizing tempos for the exercise and correct training effect takes skill and knowledge.  It
requires understanding training stimuli and how to program for them to get the desired
outcome. 

If you’re looking to have a personal plan designed specifically for you, apply for one of the
limited spots that the N1 coaches have available.

REP RANGES MATTER IN YOUR PROGRAM

Rep Ranges Matter in Your Program

Rep ranges are an important variable in the effect of each set. When combined with tempo,
they determine the time under tension and the load you will be able to use. Reps, tempo, and
load all combine to determine the quality that each rep/set is training, and the stimulus to that
muscle tissue.

Reps and tempo when combined properly, provide a harmonious stimulus of contraction and
tension in the muscle by being able to maximize the qualities of a given exercise. A good
program will have pretty firm rep ranges. This means a prescribed rep range of no more than
3 reps, for instance 8-10, which includes 8, 9, and 10. A very comprehensive program for a
more seasoned trainee will have a lot of sets with a range of 1 or 2. The lower the reps, the
smaller the range should be.

An occasional range of say 5 on the last exercise of a workout or tri-set when the reps are 15
or greater is an acceptable practice. However, if your workout is full of 10-15’s or 5-10’s etc
then it’s time to get yourself on a better program. The stimulus of a set of 5 vs 10 is so
drastically different that this practice is absolutely unacceptable in a program.
A program should be designed for a goal. It is not a choose your own destiny session. This
requires precision in all training variables, reps, tempo, rest, sets etc. This is why we stress
that our clients adhere to their given rep ranges regardless of how challenging the set is.

Remember that not all sets are meant to take you to failure. Rest intervals and volume over a
workout are important things to consider. Often times ambitious trainees will sacrifice the
goal if the workout by prematurely exhausting themselves in the workout by extending sets
with load or TUT that was not prescribed. This can completely diminish the benefits of the
rest of the workout, and alter the training stimulus outside the goal of the program. If you do
happen to horribly underestimate the weight to be used, scrap the set and do another with a
more appropriate weight. Don’t perform a set that is outside the parameters of the workout
stimulus, as this may interfere with the training effect.

Reps are also one of the best progression tools throughout a program. If you do not program
them precisely it makes it very difficult to track progress and make the appropriate
progressions from week to week in the program.

Guidelines

Now, I think all programs have reps in them, but how do you know the reps are being
programmed appropriately? That’s a complicated question, but what I can do is give you a
few examples of when rep ranges may be totally off.

1) Rep ranges and tempo need to work together. High reps and long tempos have little
application. Outside of recovering from an injury superslow training has little to no benefit
towards muscle growth or body composition and is likely inferior compared to a more
appropriate tempo. Be wary if your program consists of a lot of single exercises that are done
for more than 60-70 seconds (not including the sum of supersets).

2) Your highest reps or longest TUT sets should likely be at the end of your workout, and
accordingly lowest at the beginning. This is especially true when we are discussing the same
body part.

3) It’s very rare that you would have sets of similar type exercises that differ by more than 4-6
reps. So a workout that starts with an A series exercise at 4-6. Then a B series at 10-12
followed by a c series in the 15-20, is likely not a good program. Keep in mind that there are
always rare scenarios that require things outside the norm in programming, but those should
be the rarity in your program, not the normal occurrence in your programs.

There is a lot of knowledge that goes in to writing and programming effective workouts.  If
you’re looking to have a personal plan designed specifically for you, apply for one of the
limited spots that the N1 coaches have available.

UNDERSTANDING EXERCISE PAIRING – LABELING IN A WORKOUT

The labeling system we use in our programs might be new to you and seem odd at first
glance, but is really quite simple and will easily become second nature.  This is not something
we created on our own and has been used for years by coaches across the fitness and strength
industry. You will notice a combination of a letter and a number on the far left column of each
program next to each exercise name.

Letters & Numbers

Letters indicate an exercise group.  All exercises with the same letter are performed in a
sequential fashion until all sets have been completed. Numbers simply indicate the order of
the exercises within a group. Just like reading a book, you will follow the workouts from left
to right and then down to the next line.  When reading the workouts, you will perform the
indicated reps with the prescribed tempo and take the rest period written before moving down
to the next exercise in the group.  Once you reach the end of a group you will go back to the
first exercise listed and repeat the process until you have completed the appropriate number of
sets before moving on to the next group. Do not skip the rest periods! The rest periods within
a group can have a significant influence on what type of stimulus you will get from the
workout.  If there are four exercises (B1, B2, B3, B4), doing them one after the other will
have a drastically different effect on what type of stimulus is created compared to if you were
to rest 60 seconds between each exercise.

Example

    Sets Reps Tempo Rest

A1 Barbell Squat 5 6 4010 90
B1 Hack Squat 4 8 3110 45
B2 Leg Extension 4 8 3011 45
C1 DB Curl 3 6 3011 0
C2 Incline Cable Curl 3 6 3110 0
C3 Neutral Grip Curl 3 12 3010 90
In this example, you would perform 5 sets of barbell squat with 90 second rest. Next, you
would move to a super set of Hack Squat and Leg Extension with 45 seconds rest after EACH
exercise for 4 sets. Finally, a trio-set of bicep exercises with no rest after the DB Curl or
Incline Cable Curl.  Once you rested for 90 seconds after the Neutral Grip Curls you would
repeat the tri-set two more times.

The pairings of exercises is just one of many valuable tools N1 applies and can be utilized to
accommodate a variety of stimuli in your training when applied appropriately.

REST INTERVALS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE WORK

INTERVALS
I think we are all guilty of getting in the mindset of less rest more work. While this may feel
immediately rewarding to our psyche, it can easily get us off track on our program. It is the
rest intervals that determine the state at which we enter the next set. This affects how
metabolically recovered we are going in to the next set. The metabolic conditions at which
you do your work are one of the most important things in determining how that tissue will
respond to that set.

Whether your goal is to increase fat metabolism, partition nutrients, promote protein
synthesis, or increase strength through neurological adaptations, the rest between sets is a vital
variable in making sure you accomplish that goal. As coaches, programming exact tempo and
rest intervals can seem tedious, and following them in the gym can be the same. That does not
change the fact that they are extremely important for achieving your goal.

In fact at N1 we teach a whole system of programs that rely almost entirely on the impact of
the rest intervals. These are some of the most powerful programs we design and often result in
1 week transformations that look like they would have taken 6 weeks. Not resting enough can
have profound increase in the inflammation produced in a workout, which is not good when
that is not the goal. Resting too much can drastically decrease the metabolic stimulus of a
workout, which can decrease the adaptations to the cells metabolism, and nutrient uptake.

This is why we stress the importance of adhering to the rest intervals of our programs with our
clients. We know it’s not entertaining to watch the seconds go by, but sometimes obeying the
clock is exactly what you need to do to get more results in less time.

Things to Know About Rest Intervals

Rest between two different body parts and the same body part are very different things. So
don’t transfer rules about rest from one to the next. Sometimes they overlap, but they also
differ a lot of times as well.

Rest intervals should be lower in metabolic programs, and higher in more strength based
programs. For hypertrophy there are many ways to manipulate rest, so a broad range can be
used, however they should not be all over the place within a single session or phase of
training. Rest over the course of several sets should be examined as a work:rest ratio when
determining the metabolic effect.

Intensity is a factor in quantifying that work as well as time though. If your program does not
include fairly precise rest intervals, then it’s time to move on to a better program or coach.
Ranges of 30 seconds are often used for hypertrophy programs, and little to no rest is used in
metabolic programs with the exception of at the end of giant sets or similar style
programming.

For neurological training phases, rest is very dependent on the individual, even more so than
the training program. The more advanced a person is, the more rest they will tend to need
when training lower reps. What could be 3 minutes for 1 person may be 5 or longer for
another when training very low reps.

Intensity and rest are often correlated. The higher the intensity of the sets (and by this I mean
loads) aka lower reps, heavier weights, the longer the rest periods. The lower the intensity the
sets, the higher the work:rest ratio. This can come in the form of short rest between moderate
length sets, or a longer rest after a very long giant set.

Because there are so many ways to structure it, if your not an expert, at least evaluate the
work:rest ratio. Keep in mind that there are always rare scenarios that require things outside
the norm in programming, but those should be the rarity in your program, not the normal
occurrence in your programs.

Rest intervals should be customized to fit the individual, just like every variable of a workout,
program, or nutrition plan.  If you’re looking to have a personal plan designed specifically for
you, apply for one of the limited spots that the N1 coaches have available.